Pradoville Scheme Fiasco

Jun 08, 2017 Heist of Guyana, News

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November 28, 2010

More silence on exclusive ‘Pradoville 2’

* matter addressed already, says Irfaan

*AFC: the public has the right to know

Amidst questions over ongoing construction at what seems to be an exclusive housing scheme at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, a government official has said that issue has been addressed in the media already and that the transaction was done according to established procedures.
There have been questions whether a large piece of land located behind the Sparendaam Police Station, next to the East Coast Demerara seawall was distributed in a fair and transparent manner.
The land formerly housed a transmitter belonging to the National Communications Network which has since been relocated to Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
The land was sold in pieces to several government officials, including President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, and the army chief, Commodore Gary Best.
Kaieteur News had emailed questions of the land transaction to Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali. Yesterday, when contacted, the Minister said that matter was ventilated in the press already and he had nothing more to say.
Over a week ago, the Minister had written to Stabroek News following a news report which accused him of berating a reporter in the Parliament after the reporter had asked questions of the Minister.
According to Ali, his Ministry follows a clearly defined and well-documented process in land allocation.
“The process was no different in the case of the East Coast Demerara housing development at Plaisance. The CH&PA (Central Housing and Planning Authority) has elaborated several mechanisms which include Public/Private partnerships, high income development, middle income development, medium income development and our internationally acclaimed low income settlement programme.
“The land itself was subject to approved valuation and sold at market value,” Ali said in his statement to the Stabroek News.
Yesterday, leader of the Alliance For Change, Raphael Trotman, while stressing that he has no problems with the rights of officials to pursue their private goals, said that with increasing attention being paid to the issue, there should at least be some answers.
Even more importantly is the fact that President Jagdeo, a top public official, is involved, and this should necessitate the urgency with which these answers are given.
“The public has a right to know.”
The AFC leader promised that his party would be forthcoming with another statement in the event that there are no answers to the issues being raised.
Already, construction is in full swing with water, electricity and drains in place.
Stabroek News in response to Minister Ali’s letter, had pointed out that the issue is not what the rules and procedures are, “but whether they were followed in this case. Was the land advertised publicly, for example, and how was it allocated and valued?”
The newspaper had also called in the Housing Ministry to issue a press release for the benefit of the public detailing the specifics of “what transpired in relation to the Sparendaam land in terms of tendering (or the absence thereof), advertising, valuation, sale, etc, rather than the meaningless generalities he offers above”.

 

September 30,  2011

Mingo says he never received land at Pradoville 2

Regional Ten Chairman Mortimer Mingo has denied ever receiving any land plot of land in the exclusive housing area popularly referred to as “Prado Ville 2” – located at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.
Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon, on Wednesday, during the ongoing libel case in the High Court, had stated that Mingo was among several Afro-Guyanese who received land in the area.
Mingo in a press statement yesterday indicated that it was sometime on or about August 2010, that Dr Luncheon called him and informed him that the Government of Guyana was in the process of allocating house lots at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, where the radio antennas were.
It was further disclosed that the land was being given to senior government functionaries and regional chairmen.
Mingo further noted that Luncheon said that he (Mingo) was identified as one of the persons for a house lot and that “I would be contacted later as to know how the allocation would be”.
Mingo said that he later contacted his lawyer and told him about the offer that was made by Luncheon. He said that “I was advised that I acknowledge the offer and wait to see what and how I would proceed with the offer.
Mingo said that since that phone call he has never heard from Luncheon or anyone concerning the said plot of land.
The chairman said that he has not signed any agreement or condition of sale or paid any money for any land at Sparendaam.
Mingo further stated that he has never received any lease, title or transport for the said land. In fact, the Regional Chairman said that he has never even seen the said plot of land.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Christopher Ram noted that Mingo is likely to be called as a witness to testify that he has never received land at Pradoville.
The issue of the land arouse after Luncheon was under cross examination by Ram in the Bharrat Jagdeo libel case against newspaper columnist Freddie Kissoon, Kaieteur News and its Editor Adam Harris. Luncheon denied that the area was predominantly filled with East Indians who were allocated house lots by the plaintiff.
Luncheon rejected that in its entirety.

 

October 2, 2011

PNCR likely to discuss Mingo ‘Pradoville 2’ fiasco –General Secretary Oscar Clarke

It seems that Region Ten Chairman Mortimer Mingo will find himself in more hot water over that $1.5M cheque he gave to housing authorities for a plot of land in the ‘Pradoville 2’Housing Scheme.
PNCR General Secretary Oscar Clarke told Kaieteur News yesterday that the Party has not yet discussed the issue, but that the matter is likely to be raised.
“It is a matter which the Party will take a position on…I am sure that it’s an issue that the Party will be dealing with in due course.” But he added that the PNCR has been critical of the “Pradoville 2’ Scheme.
The PNCR General Secretary gave this response after Kaieteur News informed him that Mingo had admitted to sending a cheque to the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
Clarke said that he first learned that Mingo had been approached for a house lot after Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon raised the issue in the High Court.
During his High Court cross-examination, Luncheon had said that the Region Ten Chairman was among several Afro-Guyanese who received land in the area.
Clarke was initially quoted in one newspaper as refuting Dr Luncheon’s statement about Mingo being offered land. He was also quoted as saying that he had spoken with Mingo and was satisfied that Dr. Luncheon “is at least a stranger to the truth”.
Mingo had also denied receiving any land in the area.
He issued a press statement stating that Dr Luncheon had called him around August 2010 and had informed him that the Government of Guyana was in the process of allocating house lots at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.
It was disclosed that the land was being given to senior Government functionaries and Regional Chairmen and that he (Mingo) was identified as one of the persons for a house lot. According to the statement, Mingo was informed that he would be contacted later about the allocation.
Mingo said that he later contacted his lawyer and told him about Luncheon’s offer. He said in a statement, “I was advised that I acknowledge the offer and wait to see what and how I would proceed with the offer.”
Mingo had added that since that phone call he never heard from Dr Luncheon or anyone concerning the said plot of land.
The chairman said that he has not signed any agreement or condition of sale or paid any money for any land at Sparendaam.
Mingo further stated that he has never received any lease, title or transport for the said land. In fact, the Regional Chairman said that he has never even seen the said plot of land.
The Central Housing and Planning Authority responded on Friday by releasing photocopies of a cheque that Mingo had given to the Ministry.
It revealed that Mingo, of Lot 45 Topira Crescent, Richmond Hill, Linden, issued the $1,500,500 cheque to the Central Housing and Planning Authority on September 3, 2010.
However, according to the documents released by the Housing
Ministry, the cheque subsequently ‘bounced.’
After this, Mingo acknowledged that the cheque was indeed his.
The Region Ten Chairman said that he acknowledged this offer “in the form of a cheque for $1.5M”.
But according to Mingo, after checking with his other colleagues a few days later and finding that they had not been offered similar increments, he “took steps to ensure that no payments would be made.”
During the 2010 Budget debate opposition members had lambasted Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali on several aspects of the ‘Pradoville 2’ project.
PNCR Member of parliament Dr. Aubrey Norton queried whether it was not “criminal” that “the oligarchs have taken it upon themselves to run a main from the water plant at Better Hope straight to Pradoville 2. He observed that “while they are looking after themselves the residents of Dazzell, Bare Roots, Victoria and many other housing schemes do not have water.”
Norton had also said that the housing scheme signals that “the elite in this country has devolved on itself the right to parcel off the lands of the people to itself and to even go close to the seawall in violation of the law and with no consideration for the challenge posed by climate change they claim will have negative effects on Guyana.
He had also alleged that only members of the private sector aligned to the government are given land for housing development.

 

April 08, 2013

“Put back the tower in Pradoville”- Plaisance residents tell Edghill 

Leave the playground for our children – Plaisance residents tell Edghill

By Abena Rockcliffe

Angry outbursts, loud singing and attempts to “negotiate” characterized the state of affairs yesterday at the Plaisance Community Centre where Junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill attempted to keep a meeting.
About 300 residents both young and old turned out with their placards to meet with the Minister.  However, from all indications, the residents only wanted to hear that the tower would not be placed on their ground, and since that wasn’t the announcement, not much productivity came out of the meeting and it was soon aborted.
Last week, there were indications that the E-Governance transmission tower, would have been sited somewhere else. But at the last post Cabinet briefing, Dr. Roger Luncheon announced that the government has no intention to change its mind.
Initially when Edghill tried to conduct his meeting, he was persistently interrupted by residents that were adamant that the tower “isn’t going here.”  They made clear their support towards the E-Governance project but stood firm in the position that the tower must be placed somewhere else.
Several said that the tower should be erected in “Pradoville where it was before.”
It was announced yesterday that a letter was sent to the Region Four Regional Chairman’s office earlier this year. But immediately after that announcement, the Regional Chairman Clement Charlotte stood and informed the gathering that he only received the letter on Saturday last.
When the gathering initially became noisy Edghill stood and said that “If we keep doing the same thing and expect different results, that means we are crazy”.
At that instant, Aubrey Norton was successful in his attempt to control the crowd. But then the Bishop told the gathering that he respects his fellow countrymen. So again the crowd erupted, this time asking him if he was there in his capacity of a government official  or as a Plaisance resident; to which he responded that he was there as a Cabinet member, the Minister in charge of projects around the country and as a Plaisance man.
But that did not go down too well with the “true” Plaisance people.
As he pleaded for a hearing, the Minister told the people that he wasn’t there for a fight or a confrontation, but wanted to help them to understand “reality” and wanted to stop the communication through the media.
He announced that it wasn’t the government’s intention to disrespect the people of Plaisance and said that if its actions suggested such, he asked that the people accept that that wasn’t the motive.
To this, the crowd responded, shouting “you lie.”
The Bishop then proceeded to acknowledge that what the government attempted to do yesterday should have been done from the inception.
He said, however, that the government “simply” intended to use state facilities to facilitate the E governance programme. After making such a pronouncement, the gathering became uncontrollable as the Plaisance residents contended that the ground doesn’t belong to the government.
The peeved residents asked the Minister why the “yo yo” behavior; as in why the government made it seem as if the decision to erect the tower on that soil was rescinded then “Luncheon,  went again and talk nonsense.”
To that the Bishop responded that the government at no point instructed that works be halted.
“When the engineers left, they left because of their own reasons, the government didn’t instruct them to do so.”
Those utterances were the source of another uproar and Edghill proceeded to call for responsible behavior so that a “solution” could have been met.
At that point, some of the residents suggested that Edghill “put it in you yard or Jagdeo yard; he got nuff property all over de place this is we only home.”
Edghill then expressed regret that the letter had reached the Regional Chairman so late. But the residents were not appeased and became even more incensed.
Aubrey Norton once again managed to calm the crowd, but then asked Edghill:
“Is the government willing to go elsewhere with the tower?” To that the Junior Minister responded that the government is willing to do so if there is a technically feasible suggestion.

Norton then queried why the Plaisance ground was technically feasible as opposed to where it was before (in ‘Pradoville’).
Edghill then delivered what the villagers dubbed a “lame excuse,” saying that the land where the tower was located, has been allocated for the house of the Caricom Secretary General. The villagers then asked if one man, “a foreigner at that”, is more important than an entire community.
Former Attorney General Barnard DeSantos, who is a resident of Plaisance, asked the Minister who owned the land.  Edghill responded that the land belongs to the Interim Management Committee (IMC.)  But De Santos said that the land is the property of the Plaisance community.
He informed the Minister that the land was given to the community by the Bookers Sugar Company. He explained that it was handed over so long that when GuySuCo came into being the ground was not one of the assets it inherited “even though they tried.”
Social Activist and Newspaper columnist Freddie Kissoon publicly announced that the Minister was misleading the people when he suggested that the land upon which the home of the Caricom Secretary General will be erected is not negotiable. Kissoon said that it is not written in stone where the Secretary General must live.
He also noted that a new housing scheme is being built right behind Caricom.
“He can go live there and there are many other villages in close proximity where the Secretary General can go.”
Other concerns by the more mature residents were that “When they (the children) don’t have anywhere to play they will get time to do idle things and yall gon kill them out” and that “it is a start of the government taking away everything we own.”
They explained their hurt saying that Luncheon’s actions suggested that “we don’t really care. We are going to do what we want and yall got to live with it.”
Edghill also said that Luncheon’s words were that the E governance programme will not be hijacked. But residents retorted that “yall hijacked we land, you can’t impose on people like that. And why they sent you, you is a ‘pyam pyam’ (unimportant) PPP member.”
The Minister told a section of the people that they will feel neglected if the government decides not to erect the tower and they don’t benefit.
But the warning fell on deaf ears as some of the villagers sang the song made popular by the Tradewinds “Not a blade a grass.”

 

July 28, 2015

DPP, former PSC head among Pradoville 2 beneficiaries

– Jagdeo gave himself two plots

Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo were among several persons who benefitted from house lots in the upscale Pradoville Two scheme.
The details of how that exclusive scheme at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, was created under the direction of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, had angered the country as the state resources were used to develop the area which was then sold way below market prices and under questionable circumstances to a chosen few.
There was no immediate evidence that the parceled lands were opened up for other citizens to have a shot at acquiring.
The area is known officially as Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting Two but dubbed Pradoville Two by citizens.
According to details of the transactions seen by Kaieteur News, Jagdeo got himself the biggest plots in the Goedverwagting Two section. As matter of fact, he paid $7.5M for one and $2.3M for another parcel.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth  also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Also benefitting was Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. She paid $1,515,000.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI’s boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.

So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc were also among the other names on the list.
It is on record that Jagdeo himself had owned a piece of land and property in nearby Goedverwagting, located along the Ogle Airport Road. That area had been called Pradoville One.
However, Jagdeo claimed that he sold the mansion he built there to a Trinidad friend, Ernie Ross.
It is unclear if he paid the Capital Gains taxes on the profits he made. It was reported that he sold the property for US$600,000 ($120M).
In ordering the creation of the seaside Pradoville Two, Jagdeo during his last term which ended in 2011- and his administration- ordered the removal of a transmitting tower belonging to the National Communications Network to facilitate the creation of the community.
Jagdeo not only used state resources to develop the lands, but positioned himself to buy two acres.
In the process, he paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to dole out.
Jagdeo reportedly paid $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man paid $317 per square foot for his plot.
On it he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and a high fence to keep out the Atlantic Ocean- the same Atlantic Ocean he said was rising because of climate change.
Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
The ordinary house lots for remigrants and citizens are not ocean front, but are located on East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, in what were abandoned cane fields.
Jagdeo also oversaw the passage of laws regarding benefits for former presidents which give him unlimited use of water, electricity and telephone. In so doing, he guaranteed himself unlimited personal and household staff including an attendant and gardener.
There are also full-time personal security and services of the Presidential Guard Service at his place of residence along with an unspecified number of motor vehicles to be maintained by the state.
However, the benefits were capped in the National Assembly by the David Granger administration which swept into power on May 11 after a close race.
Jagdeo’s party was defeated after more than two decades ruling Guyana. There were accusations of heavy corruption and mismanagement of a number of multi-billion public projects, which were initiated by Jagdeo himself.

 

July 29, 2015

‘Pradoville 2’ deal to be re-examined – Minister Scott

The new Government is set to examine details of how a large plot of prime seaside property was secured by the Bharrat Jagdeo administration, later developed, and then parceled off for almost next to nothing to a few friends and Government officials.
Yesterday, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, who is charged with housing, said he had taken note of a lead story in yesterday’s edition of Kaieteur News, which revealed details of the beneficiaries of the exclusive community known to Guyana as ‘Pradoville Two’.

“Obviously we are concerned about the details of the transactions involving this piece of property. Was it in keeping with the established regulations? Was it  advertised? How much was paid? We have to look at all this.”
According to Scott, he intends to meet with the staffers of Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) “shortly” to discuss the issue.
“We are examining a lot of other details at the moment. There are many citizens who are waiting anxiously to hear about their house lots and homes. So we are, of course, interested if persons were sidelined in the process or their rights trampled on. We will keep you updated as we acquire more information.”
There is no evidence that regular citizens were even aware that the lands, located along the seawall at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, were available for housing. However, what is known is that the lands were parceled and state resources used to develop drains and install other infrastructure. There are few details as to what procedures were used to allocate the lots.
Under regulations, homeowners are not allowed to purchase more lots from Government lands.
It is unclear whether any Government or other officials who received lands in Pradoville Two, owned properties elsewhere.
With few lands available on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara for allocations, the Pradoville Two scheme has been galling house lot applicants.

Reportedly, there are almost 10,000 applications pending on file, leaving the new Government scrambling to find new lands for housing.
TWO LOTS
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
Indeed, it was reported that the property was purchased by Ross for US$600,000 ($120M).
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
The sale of the Pradoville Two house lots for such a low price would contrast starkly with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana.

Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
The ordinary house lots for remigrants and citizens are not ocean-front, but are located on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, in what were abandoned cane fields.
Pradoville Two is located in an area known officially as Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting Two.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo.
The DPP has sweeping powers and holds an independent office.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth  also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
DPP LOTS
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Also benefitting was Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. She paid $1,515,000.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI’s boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc., were also among the other names on the list.
To facilitate the construction of the scheme, the Jagdeo administration had ordered the removal of a transmitting tower of the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), to the tune of millions. It was reportedly relocated to La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.

 

August 2, 2015

Pradoville Two scandal…NICIL paid $100M-plus to remove transmission tower

Details are emerging how state resources to the tune of tens of millions of dollars were abused during the last term of Bharrat Jagdeo to build a special seaside community on the Sparendaam foreshore, East Coast Demerara.
The Pradoville Two transaction would have spanned a number of Government entities, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the National Communications Network (NCN) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
Prior to stepping down in November 2011, after he completed his constitutional two terms in office, Jagdeo and his administration in deciding to build a community for himself, ministers and friends, stumbled on a big problem. Sitting on the land was a huge transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned NCN.
A decision was taken to move the tower to Dairy Road, La Parafaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly paid over $100M to take down the tower and build the new transmitting facility. It was a charge on NCN.
Significant sums from the State were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage network and other works at Pradoville Two. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean front properties.
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, under regulations, they would have been barred from buying the lands under regulations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
A forensic audit is now being carried out at NICIL and CH&PA.
The transaction is now being examined by auditors who have been mandated by the new administration to carry out forensic work.
Last week, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, who is charged with housing, confirmed that the entire development project will be examined.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma, also said last week that forensic audit is being done on the Pradoville Two transactions.
Questionable
With few lands available on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara for allocations, the Pradoville Two scheme has been galling house lot applicants.
Reportedly, there are almost 10,000 applications pending on file, leaving the new Government scrambling to find lands for housing.

Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
The sale of the Pradoville Two house lots for such a low price would contrast starkly with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana.  Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
The ordinary house lots for remigrants and citizens are not ocean-front, but are located on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, in what were abandoned cane fields.
Pradoville Two is located in an area known officially as Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting Two.
DPP
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo.
The DPP has sweeping powers and holds an independent office.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth  also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Also benefitting was Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. She paid $1,515,000.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc., were also among the other names on the list.

 

August 04, 2015

Rohee defends $1.5M Pradoville purchase

– “You can’t catch me with anything. King Kong ain’t got s**t on my head.”

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Clement Rohee yesterday sought to defend his part in the Pradoville Two scandal, which saw him purchasing a plot of prime seaside land for just $1.5M that was developed using state resources and then parceled off or given for practically next to nothing to him and other top PPP/C officials and friends, in controversial circumstances.
The land, which was made available to a list of individuals headed by former President Bharrat Jagdeo at five times less what the average Guyanese would have paid and ten times what it would cost a remigrant, is expected to be reviewed by A Partnership for Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC)’s administration, as many aspects of the shady transaction are still not clear.
At the party’s weekly press conference, Rohee was asked where he was able to get the money from to build his property on a salary of $579,000 (the General Secretary brought his ministerial pay slip, which he brandished). Rohee was not worried, declaring “you can’t catch me with anything. King Kong ain’t got s**t on my head.”
He was also adamant that he had got the money to build his Pradoville 2 property through financing from the New Building Society and also alluded to savings.
He was asked whether he believed it was fair to be offered and actually purchase prime seaside property, which was in actuality valued at five times the amount the average Guyanese paid, in addition to the fact that his salary was more than four times what middle and low income Guyanese workers took home.
“I can’t explain that because I don’t have those details that you are referring to about what is available where and how much it is for. I never made that kind of investigation. If I am offered a piece of land for that amount of money, then I have to determine whether I can afford it and how am I going to pay for it,” Rohee stated.
Asked if he had thus gotten a good deal, Rohee stated that either way, it was just “an investment” on his part.
The distasteful details of how the exclusive Pradoville scheme at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, was created under the direction of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, had outraged the nation.
State resources were used to develop the area, including drainage and other infrastructure, and the lots were then sold way below market prices and under questionable circumstances to a chosen few.
There was no immediate evidence that the parceled lands were opened up for other citizens to have a shot at acquiring.
According to details of the transactions seen by Kaieteur News, Jagdeo got himself the biggest plots in the Goedverwagting Two section. In fact, he paid $7.5M for one and $2.3M for another parcel.
Other persons on the list of persons who benefitted from house lots in the upscale Pradoville Two scheme are Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth also received house lots. Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI).
He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Also benefitting was Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. She paid $1,515,000.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former Minister of Education and GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each. So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh
In order to facilitate the construction of the scheme, the Jagdeo administration had ordered the removal of a transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), an action that cost millions. It was reportedly relocated to La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
REPERCUSSIONS
Under the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) regulations, anyone who already owns a home is not allowed to purchase additional lots from Government lands.
It is unclear whether any Government or other officials who received lands in Pradoville Two, owned properties elsewhere.
But with a limited amount of land available on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara for the ordinary house lot applicant, the Pradoville Two scheme has been galling to aspiring applicants. In addition, it is unclear how Rohee’s declaration that “call it a good deal or a bad deal; it was just an investment on my part” will be viewed by other applicants.

 

August 04, 2015

Pradoville 2 matter handed over to State Assets Recovery Unit

– NICIL oversaw transaction, kept CH&PA in dark

The Ministry of Housing has asked Government’s newly established State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) to look into the ‘Pradoville Two’ deal.

The transaction is quickly evolving into a scandal which at first glance speaks of abuse of state resources by the previous administrations under the People’s Progressive Party.
At the very least, Government officials said, the deal was improper.
The matter is being examined under forensic audits being carried out at both the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and National Industrial Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
Yesterday, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, disclosed that the area situated at Parcel 172 Plantation Sparendaam and Parcel 237 Plantation Goedverwagting, known by citizens as Pradoville 2 was “mutated” and sold subject to a Cabinet decision.
While he did not say when, from indications, it was done under last Bharrat Jagdeo administration. His last term in office ended in 2011.
The state-owned NICIL/Privatisation Unit was authorized to do all acts necessary to ensure the vesting of the new development project in the CH&PA, the body which is tasked with overseeing housing developments in Guyana.
NICIL/Privatisation Unit is headed by Winston Brassington, an executive who oversaw a number of contentious multi-billion-dollar public infrastructure deals.
According to Scott yesterday, the allocation of parcels of land to the several former ministers, senior

Government officials and friends close to the PPP administration, along with the method to determine the prices paid, were not assessed by the CH&PA.
“The method of allocation of lands within this housing development as opposed to other schemes under the control of the Central Authority was not followed,” Minister Scott said in a statement to this newspaper.
Regarding issues of whether the recipients, including Jagdeo and Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, were owners of properties at the time of the sale, Scott made it clear the CH&PA seemed not have been in the loop as the paperwork is not there.
Under regulations of the authority, persons or families who owned properties cannot be allocated new lands.
“Those who were allocated the parcel(s) of land, whether they were the owner(s) of land at the time of allocation and the price attributed to each parcel of land, were not under the control of the Central Authority,” he said.
As a matter of fact, the authority’s role in the Pradoville Two construction seemed to be limited. “The plans showing the survey of the area were done at the behest of NICIL/Privatisation Unit.”
The infrastructural works were contracted to Atlantic Construction by NICIL/Privatisation Unit.
Scott did not make it clear whether the infrastructural works were tendered for.
He said from evidence, CH&PA merely acted as the collection agency

for the cost paid by the beneficiaries of the land.
“The resident/owners paid to the Central Authority the sums stated on their Certificate of Title passed by the Registrar of Land.”
Over the weekend, it was revealed that NICIL paid more than $100M to remove a transmitting tower from the Pradoville Two land, an area of prime land on the East Coast of Demerara that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
An entire new facility had to be rebuilt along Dairy Road, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly also spent tens of millions to build roads, drainage and culverts and lay pipes and in some cases, underground power cables. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean-front properties.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
The sale of the Pradoville Two house lots for such a low price would contrast starkly with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana.  Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo; former Ministers Clement Rohee, Priya Manickchand, Robert Persaud and even former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon.

 

 

August 6, 2015

Exclusive ‘Pradoville 2’ without water meters since inception

– first one installed days ago

Questions have once again been raised about the ‘Pradoville 2’ community, this time on how the exclusive area managed to go years without the installation of a single water meter.
Earlier this week, reports reached this newspaper about this latest scandal. These reports indicate that the controversial community, which has been around for about half a decade, has been without a single Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) meter since its inception.
‘Pradoville 2’ is a residential community at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara which was created under the directive of Former President and now Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. Word of the community first surfaced sometime around 2010.
Outside of Jagdeo, several other prominent persons benefitted from the creation of the community by receiving house lots.
Since the creation of the exclusive community, a number of mansion-like homes have gone up in the area and these homes have been provided with water by the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). However, the community’s first meter was only recently installed at the premises of People’s Progressive Party (PPP) executive member, Dr. Roger Luncheon.
In fact, a special water main was laid for ‘Pradoville 2’ by the GWI in late 2010, this main had been laid even before homes had begun cropping up in the residential community. However, while there was all haste in providing the community with a direct water supply, the same haste was not applied in providing the area with a means to properly account for its huge amount of water consumption.
When contacted, a GWI representative explained that the entire area was now undergoing metering. He said that the exercises were part of an ongoing programme which would see GWI customers receiving meters throughout the country.
According to the rep, the residential community is not the only area to be without meters. He stated that several other communities, especially along the East Coast corridor, have been without meters. He explained that GWI implemented a new policy about two to three years ago which would see immediate installation of meters upon the installation of water lines. Therefore, he said, persons who received water lines before the new policy were being revisited and having their meters installed.
He added that these installations were being conducted in phases, with each community falling under a divisional office. He added that the divisional offices are responsible for the setting up of a schedule to visit specific areas. ‘Pradoville 2’ reportedly falls under the Bachelor’s Adventure divisional office.
When questioned on how long it would take for any community to receive meters, the representative stressed that it depended on a number of factors. These include the availability of meters, the availability of personnel to install the meters and how the schedule is set up by the divisional offices.
However, he said that areas with treated water supplies were being prioritized due to the fact that treated water was more costly for GWI to supply. ‘Pradoville 2’ reportedly has treated water supplies.
Furthermore, when questioned on billing, the GWI official emphasised that the residents in ‘Pradoville 2’ are billed just like anyone else. He explained that the bills are estimated and are based on a fixed rate. He added that the rates differ from community to community.
The representative emphasised that the fact that ‘Pradoville 2’ was never metered was not an act of favouritism or bias on the part of GWI and was only due to the phased programme.
However, a GWI source hit out at the utility company’s explanation and stressed that it should not take a customer years to receive a meter. The source found it difficult to believe that a schedule would take four or five years to provide even one meter to an entire community.
Further, the source questioned why, if treated water supplies are prioritized, ‘Pradoville 2 ‘had never been targeted, especially if its high consumption rates – the community houses several pools – are taken into consideration. The source also opined that the community could not be billed since it is one of the country’s newer ones and would not be on GWI’s list.
The source further discounted GWI’s claim that lack of personnel played a role in its slothfulness of providing meters. The source opined that when the time comes for water lines to be disconnected in other areas, GWI immediately finds staff.
Additionally, the source questioned why Luncheon, who is one of the community’s newest residents, was the first to be provided with a water meter. In fact, Luncheon’s meter should have been immediately installed since his water supply fell under the new policy, the source said.
The ‘Pradoville 2’ deal was recently handed over to the new government’s State Assets Recovery Unit following a request by the Ministry of Housing. The matter is being examined under forensic audits being carried out both at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

 

August 17, 2015

Jagdeo’s mansion uses 3 of 4 transformers in Pradoville 2

The distribution of electrical transformers has been most irregular with the discovery of three transformers being connected to the home of former president Bharrat Jagdeo. The authorities say that one transformer is often enough for a large company that demands a lot of electricity.
Recently it was discovered that the home of former President Bharrat Jagdeo was connected to three transformers when large companies had only one transformer.
The situation at Pradoville Two was that like most housing communities where there would have been infrastructure provided by the authorities. In this case the scheme emerged but there was no supporting infrastructure.
Just a fortnight ago the community had its first water meter. But the electric connections were there. The connection leading to the home of former President Bharrat Jagdeo raised questions at a time when established companies could not boost their power supply.

One generator is often enough to channel power to a company that uses hundreds of kilowatts. For Jagdeo to have three transformers leading to his home would suggest that he has needs for more power than a large company.
Jagdeo at his Pradoville mansion needs to support a swimming pool. Word is that the lighting system is immense. There are multi-million-dollar chandeliers, air conditioning for his dog kennel and even for his cat.
The investigation is likely to discover a warehouse to store pharmaceuticals, the likes of which GPC constructed to fashion the multi-million dollar contractors offered to the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation.
The fact that the area has more electricity than any other community contrasts with what happens with the supply of potable water.
The community recently received its first water meter installed at the home of Dr Roger Luncheon. For five years the community has been enjoying potable water free of cost. In fact, most of the community still enjoys free potable water.

 

August 18, 2015

Pradoville 2 ‘power house’…“I don’t know anything about transformers”- Jagdeo

“I’m not a technical person so I don’t know about the transformers.”
So said former president turn Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday when asked about a report that his mansion uses three of four transformers in Pradoville 2.

When pressed further Jagdeo remained adamant:  “I don’t know anything about transformers, I know about the electricity.”
A point that he dubbed interesting is that as far as he is aware “…in the last two months when we have paid our electricity bill, the bill has come down by almost half without any change in policy or use.”
He noted that it seems as though his community was placed on a government residential tariff which is higher than the normal tariff, but made it clear that he does not know how electricity is supplied “I don’t know how electricity is supplied”.
True to form, he then referred to Kaieteur News’ Publisher stating: “Glenn Lall knows a lot about transformers you should ask him about the transformer on the Regent Street property.”
Speaking further he noted too that the situation is nothing new at his home for the past four years.
As was reported in the Monday edition of this publication the distribution of electrical transformers has been most irregular with the discovery of three transformers being connected to Jagdeo’s home.
The authorities say that one transformer is often enough for a large company that demands a lot of electricity.
Recently it was discovered that Jagdeo’s residence was connected to three transformers.
The situation at Pradoville Two was that like most housing communities where there would have been infrastructure provided by the authorities. In this case the scheme emerged, but there was no supporting infrastructure.
Just a fortnight ago the community got its first water meter. But the electrical connections were already there. The connection leading to the home of former President’s mansion raised questions at a time when established companies could not boost their power supply.
Jagdeo at his Pradoville mansion needs to support a swimming pool while word is that the lighting system is immense. There are multi-million-dollar chandeliers, air conditioning for his dog kennel and even for his cat.
The investigation is likely to discover a warehouse to store pharmaceuticals, the likes of which GPC constructed to fashion the multi-million dollar contracts offered to the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation.
The fact that the area has more electricity than any other community contrasts with what happens with the supply of potable water.
The community recently received its first water meter installed at the home of Dr Roger Luncheon. For five years the community has been enjoying potable water free of cost. In fact, most of the community still enjoys free potable water.

 

August 19, 2015

Pradoville 2 ‘power house’…GPL shares cost of Jagdeo mansion transformers

 “Three transformers attached to a private residence is normally associated with upscale living. The ordinary man can’t afford that kind of luxury.”  – GPL official

While former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has said that he does not know anything about transformers outside his mansion at Pradoville Two, a Guyana Power and Light (GPL) official yesterday confirmed that it is indeed true.
“Mr. Jagdeo’s home is indeed being powered by three transformers. The transformers are mounted on a lantern post just outside the mansion in Pradoville 2.”
He explained that the transformers are being used because of the type of power supply required. “He has a three-phase supply which includes three 25kva transformers while all other persons in the area are using a single phase 120-240 volts transformer.”
Explaining further, the official said that “this type of load is a more reliable type of supply that is personal and was requested based on the former President’s lifestyle.”
Asked about what kind of appliances the former President may be using to require three transformers, the official said it includes a central air conditioning system.
There are not many private citizens or Guyanese who will have three transformers running to a home. More so where the state is paying for the power used.
The acquisition and installation of the transformers is determined through an arrangement with the consumer and the GPL.
How much, if any, Jagdeo paid for those transformers was not immediately clear yesterday.
But one thing is obvious: there is no other former minister or government official who benefits from such a service in the Pradoville Two area.

“Three transformers attached to a private residence is normally associated with upscale living. The ordinary man can’t afford that kind of luxury” the GPL official confirmed.
In the case of the former president, information is not available as to who paid and who is paying for the transformers, but Jagdeo did confirm that “in the last two months when we paid our electricity bill, the bill has come down by almost half without any change in policy or use.”
The transformers are among several other issues being investigated by the new administration.
The area, located at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is prime seaside lands that was taken over and allocated to several top Government officials and close friends during Jagdeo’s last term that ended in 2011.
State resources were reportedly used to build drainage and other structures, and the land was sold way below market value, as compared to what normal citizens were paying for Government house lots.
The land was sold subject to a Cabinet decision. The state-owned NICIL/Privatisation Unit was authorized to oversee the development of the land without any significant input from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the state-controlled body that oversees housing development.
Regarding issues of whether the recipients, including Jagdeo and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, were owners of properties at the time of the sale, Government has disclosed that initial indications are that CH&PA seemed not to have been in the loop, as the paperwork is not there.
It has been revealed that to accommodate the special housing scheme, the Jagdeo administration used state funds to pay more than $100M to remove a transmission tower from the Pradoville Two land, to the West Demerara area.
There was no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean-front properties.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo; former Ministers Clement Rohee, Priya Manickchand, Robert Persaud and even former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon.

 

September 9, 2015

Govt. seeks market value for Pradoville 2 houselots

Government’s State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) is actively considering several options in its investigations of the Pradoville Two house lots.

On Monday, Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Keith Scott, said that there are indications that several persons, including ex-ministers and former senior Government officials, owned properties before they were invited to purchase house lots in the exclusive Sparendaam area, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
Under Government regulations, persons or families who owned properties cannot be allocated State lands for housing.
“It was discussed and it is the thinking that one option of recovery will be that persons who own other properties and yet benefitted from house lots in Pradoville Two will have to pay market value for the house lots. We are not sure what system was used to allocate these lands.  We are seeing that some of them that benefitted have turned back and sold (the lot).”
Scott said that it appears that ex-Government officials were advised to treat the house lots as investments.
The minister, who has responsibilities for housing, insisted that the role of Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was usurped by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
In early August, Scott announced that the Pradoville Two deal was handed over to SARU for investigations.
The transaction has evolved into a scandal which at first glance speaks of abuse of State resources by the previous administrations under the People’s Progressive Party.
At the very least, Government officials said, the deal was improper. Forensic audits are being carried out at both CH&PA and NICIL.
The land was taken over and sold by a Cabinet decision under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration. His last term in office ended in 2011.
The state-owned NICIL/Privatisation Unit was authorized to do all acts necessary to ensure the vesting of the new development project in the CH&PA, the body which is tasked with overseeing housing developments in Guyana.
NICIL/Privatisation Unit was headed by Winston Brassington, an executive who oversaw a number of contentious multi-billion-dollar public infrastructure deals.

The allocation of parcels of lands to the several former ministers, senior Government officials and friends close to the PPP administration, along with the method to determine the prices paid, were not assessed by the CH&PA.
“Those who were allocated the parcel(s) of land, whether they were the owner(s) of land at the time of allocation and the price attributed to each parcel of land, were not under the control of the Central Authority,” Scott had explained.
The authority’s role in the Pradoville Two construction seemed to be limited. “The plans showing the survey of the area were done at the behest of NICIL/Privatisation Unit.”
The infrastructural works were contracted to Atlantic Construction by NICIL/Privatisation Unit.
It has been revealed that NICIL paid more than $100M to remove a transmitting tower from the Pradoville Two land, an area of prime land on the East Coast of Demerara that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. An entire new facility had to be rebuilt along Dairy Road, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly also spent tens of millions of dollars to build roads, drainage and culverts and lay pipes and in some cases, underground power cables. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean-front properties.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
The sale of the Pradoville Two house lots for such a low price would contrast starkly with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana.  Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
Other beneficiaries include Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo; former Ministers Clement Rohee, Priya Manickchand, Robert Persaud and even former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon.

 

September 27, 2015

Jagdeo to accept US$20,000 for Pradoville 2 chandelier

…Who do I write the cheque to, Jagdeo or Ramroop? — Glenn Lall

Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Friday said that he would sell to Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, a chandelier from his Pradoville II mansion for US$20,000.
On Friday, Jagdeo was told that he installed a US$500,000 chandelier in his house. In denying that the chandelier was worth so much, Jagdeo said that he would sell Lall the chandelier for US$10,000.  He then doubled his selling price to US$20,000 because he said that he would make a handsome profit. But this was after a reporter said that Lall would jump at the offer.
Lall, when informed of the Jagdeo proposal, said that he would buy the chandelier.
Lall said he is prepared to write a cheque in that amount immediately. His only query, “Who do I send the cheque to? Jagdeo or his front man Bobby Ramroop?”
Jagdeo when questioned about his wealth on Friday launched into a tirade against the Kaieteur News reporters. He said he knew the questions stemmed from Lall, himself.

“First of all that is your standard question. I expected that from the Kaieteur News. That’s the Glenn Lall question to the reporters to ask.”
Jagdeo then told media operatives that the reporters would put a spin to his response on the wealth issues.
But Jagdeo again avoided declaring how he did amass his wealth.
He then turned his attention instead to President David Granger’s signal to hold Commissions of Inquiry into extra judicial killings.
Again shying away from the substantive question at hand, namely the acquisition of his unexplained wealth, Jagdeo resorted to saying if indeed he has billions, it was money given to him by Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan, monies that Ramjattan got from the sale of gun licences.
Jagdeo was asked pointedly, “Are you wealthy?” His response, “I don’t have as much money as Glenn Lall or Ramjattan.”
Mr. Lall said that the nation has a right to know how Jagdeo obtained his wealth.  For sure, his salary over the years he worked could not build his extravagant Pradoville 2 mansion and the other properties he owns either publicly or in hiding, Mr. Lall said.
He said that he has a right to be rich and he is. He has been in business all his life and never worked in any office for a salary.
He said that he did not steal from the taxpayers and did not do any corrupt deals.
He said that he cannot say the same for Bharrat Jagdeo.

 

September 29, 2015

Former MP moves to repossess Pradoville 2 lands

Former Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman has moved to the courts to challenge the sale and transfer of acres of prime ocean-front state lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, past government Ministers and other close associates.

In a high court motion filed yesterday, Trotman and the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Incorporated, are seeking a mandatory order directed to each of the property owners that the legal and beneficial ownership of the parcels of land at Plantations Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, purported to be sold and transferred to them, shall be returned to the State.

Trotman is claiming that the prime lands were covertly sold at undervalued prices in a manner clearly lacking transparency and in an effort to develop the exclusive scheme, orders came from Cabinet and not through the requisite statutory bodies.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent from government corporations, it was claimed. Trotman brought to the court’s attention that the millions of dollars have been spent to develop the area but it was done unlawfully. The act was an abuse of power by the then Executive in contravention of the rights of the people, Trotman said.

In this light, the court has been asked to also grant a conservatory order prohibiting the Registrar of Lands from registering or transferring, or in any form or manner encumbering any of the parcels of land located in what is popularly known as Pradoville 2.

Trotman said the proceedings have been laid out in the interest of the public.

In representing Trotman and the group, Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston along with Attorneys-at-Law Betina Glasford and Brenden Glasford have called on Attorney General Basil Williams to defend several actions taken by the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Cabinet in setting up the exclusive housing scheme.

The court is being asked to declare that the move by the former cabinet to authorize National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to approve the mutation of the parcels of East Coast Demerara lands without the authorisation and approval of Parliament, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and other relevant statutory authorities “is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unreasonable, unlawful, ultra vires, null and void, ab initio and of no legal effect.”

A declaration is also being sought to the effect that the sale and transfer of the fully developed parcels of state lands by the Executive at undervalued prices to then government Ministers, officials, friends and cronies of the PPP without any recourse to a valuation or tender procedure or an invitation to the public that such lands are for sale is a wrongful and “unlawful grant of facilities and benefits, a brazen and flagrant infringement on citizens’ rights to equality before the law.”

This, he said, is in violation of the Constitution and is discriminatory.

Trotman wants the court to declare too that the purported conferment of the benefits, advantages and facilities by the then Cabinet and administrative actions of the State on the purported purchasers of parcels of the state lands, to acquire titles for them an abuse of power by the Executive in contravention of the rights of the people.

He is also seeking a declaration that the parcel holders have been accorded privileges which were not afforded to other persons and it is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unreasonable, an abuse of power by the Executive and an infringement of the rights of the people.

Bought and Sold

In his affidavit of support, Trotman said that on September 2, 2010, parcels of the lands were registered to PPP Government ministers and their blood relatives, known supporters of the party and other senior influential Government employees.

Among those he listed were former Ministers Robert Persaud (Natural Resources), Shaikh Baksh (Housing and Water), Clement Rohee (Home Affairs), Priya Manickchand (Education) along with Lisaveta Ramotar, General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board and daughter of former President Donald Ramotar.

They each paid $1.5M for 0.3030 acres of land. The former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford acquired 0.3186 acres at nearly $1.6M. One person stated as G. Singh and his wife paid $1.5M to acquire 0.3005 acres.

Of note, Trotman said that Jagdeo scooped up two parcels for himself. A 1.5 acre plot was bought by him for $7.5M and another 0.4603 acres for $2.3M.

According to Trotman’s supporting document, beneficiaries of the Government’s largesse were also former Chief Executive Officer of GuySuco, Dr. Rajendra Singh; former President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo, and Andrew Ranji Bishop, Florrie Loretta Ramnauth, Safraz Khan.

They each paid $1.5M for 0.3005 acres of land.

George Hallaq and Nada Hallaq paid $5M for 0.85 acre while, according to the document, Future Developers International (Guyana) Inc., a company whose sole Director is CEO Dr. Singh, paid $3M for the land.

Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack and her husband Moeenul Hack are said to have paid nearly $1.5M for 0.2767 acres. Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Rear Admiral Gary Best and former Chairman of Commonwealth Development Compton Bourne were listed as having paid $1.5M for 0.3 acres of land there as well.

Trotman’s affidavit of support further stated that in 2013 former Minister Manickchand sold the land and property to David Narine for $100M while the year before, Persaud sold his land and property to a local company ASR Inc., for $90M.

Trotman said the conduct of the former Cabinet and their authorised administrative actions contravened his and the citizens’ fundamental right to equality before the law, the protection of the law, equality of treatment from public authorities in the exercise of their functions and the enjoyment of those rights without discrimination.

Covert Operation

In his Originating Notice of Motion, Desmond Trotman said the then President Jagdeo and his Cabinet covertly conceived clandestinely to develop the land without Parliamentary knowledge or approval for selective housing purposes.

According to the former MP, the project involved an expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the lands, to construct roads and drains, install water mains, electrical lines. The project involved the removal of a 300-foot state-owned broadcasting tower from the said lands and installing it at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, it was said.

The former MP said that no money was authorised by Parliament for the development but to fund the project, the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh unlawfully authorised NICIL to take money collected by Government Corporations and other wholly owned Government Companies such as the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and GuyOil.

Monies from those agencies should have been paid into the Consolidated Fund, he said. The document states that in July 2010, Executive Director of NICIL Winston Brassington, directed Shabeer Ali, a sworn Land Surveyor, to survey and paal off the lands.

Having completed the survey on July 1 that year, a plan was recorded in the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. The said plan, Trotman said, shows firstly the mutation of Parcel 237 into Parcels 238 to 247, Plantation Goedverwagting or Area other than Land Registration Area Block No. III.

Secondly, “Mutation of Parcel 172 into Parcels 173 to 196, Planation Sparendaam or Area other than Land Registration Area Block No. IV. Zone: East Coast Demerara in the County of Demerara.”

Trotman is adamant that parcels of this set of state lands of varying sizes and prices were “clandestinely, wrongfully and unlawfully sold and title transferred on the authorisation and direction of the Executive to Ministers of Government, cronies, friends and supporters of the People’s Progressive Party.”

He emphasised that no advertisement was made by the Government informing the public that the said parcels of state lands were for sale. He said the sale and transfer of titles for the said properties were done clandestinely by the Executive in a brazen abuse of power.

Hijacked

In his affidavit in support of the motion, Trotman stated that early in the year 2010, the former government hijacked two parcels of ocean-front state lands.

He said on March 9, 2010, the then Cabinet of Ministers authorized NICIL to be in charge of the project and do everything necessary for its successful completion. He said the surveyor recorded in note 5 of the Memorandum of the said plan, that The Areas surveyed are held by National Communications Network (NCN) by order No. 607 of 2004.

He said he was informed by a clerk in the office of the National Assembly that there is no such order 607 of 2004 in its records.

He stated the mutation of the said lands into parcels “was a manifestation of the Cabinet of Ministers decision clandestinely to develop the said lands into a private and selective housing scheme exclusively for Ministers of the Government, Senior and influential Government officials, cronies, friends and supporters of the People’s Progressive Party.”

In fact, Trotman said that the development of the said project fell within the administration of the Plaisance/Industry NDC, the Town and Country Planning Act, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, and of the Public Health Act.

The appointment of NICIL by Cabinet was therefore unlawful and void, he stated. He said the project’s development was carried out without the approval of Parliament or any of the Statutory Agencies. “The pricing and allocation of the said lands were not done by the CHPA and were not under their control, though payments were made to CHPA, of the sums stated on the Certificates of Title.”

The development of the lands was financed at great costs and in order to support its funding, the then Finance Minister and Cabinet authorised NICIL to use the moneys from the government companies.

He said that the development of the land is a scheme, as provided in the Town and Country Planning Act and is subjected to statutory provisions and regulations of the TCPA and CHPA. Trotman said that by Section 3 of TCPA, the execution and enforcement of a scheme is vested in the CHPA.

The project was never approved by the CHPA or by the Board under the Public Health Act however and according to Trotman all construction and building works carried out were unlawful.

He said in breaching Articles 149 and 149D of the constitution, the parcels of land were clandestinely sold to the select few without any recourse to a valuation or tender procedure, notification to the public that the said lands were for sale or an invitation to the public to purchase any of the said lands.

 

October 15, 2015

Pradoville Two scandal…Jagdeo, former ministers face criminal charges

SARU: “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse, of powers and duties of their position. The former cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring state lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land.”

Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and several of his Cabinet Ministers who benefitted from the Pradoville Two housing scheme back in 2010 are likely to face criminal charges, following a damning report completed this week by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU).
SARU’s report noted that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize state lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seaside community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially lower than the market value for the land thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
Jagdeo himself paid only $9.8M, giving himself two acres of lands that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
Misconduct
SARU argued that the former Ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of legislation for the unit, that the Attorney General, Basil Williams, may institute proceedings against the former Ministers.
The unit said that the actions of the former cabinet Ministers have shown that they willfully neglected to perform their duties without reasonable excuse or justification to such an extent that it amounted to an abuse of the public trust in the office holders, hence its belief that criminal charges are indeed warranted.
The report cited several court cases regarding public officials as its basis for recommending that criminal charges be brought.
Providing a brief history of the nature of the Pradoville Two deal, SARU reported that Tract A of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara was once deemed as Communal Lands, thereafter owned by Demerara Sugar Estates prior to independence.
After independence, it said that this plot of land was owned by the State of Guyana. The land remained state lands until 2010 when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) privatized the land and sold it to the former Ministers and associates of the former regime.
In 2010, Jagdeo was sold 1.5 acres of land, Block III, Parcel 246 Lot 246 Plantation Goedverwagting and 0.4603 acres, Block III, Parcel 241.
Former Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, was sold Lot 239 Goedverwagting, Block III, which is 0.3030 acres. The report noted that on September 20, 2011 the land was transferred to Kamini Persaud and Robert Persaud Jnr.  The land with the house was then sold on September 18, 2014 to LSR Inc. Company for $90M. LSR’s public records indicate that its Secretary and Director is Andrew Pollard.
Also benefitting was former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, who was sold a Lot 238 Goedverwagting, Block III; former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, was sold Block IV, parcel, 176. She later sold the property to one Dave Naraine on February 21, 2013 for $100M.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo; former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon; PPP General Secretary and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul and Lisaveta Valantina Ramotar, daughter of the former President, Donald Ramotar.
The lands were transferred to the persons above on various conditions- one of which included that the transferee shall not be at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part with possession of the said property within ten years of transfer without the written consent of the Minister responsible for Housing.
Breaches
According to the SARU report, however, Manickchand sold her land three years after purchasing it and she did so without written permission from the CH&PA, thereby breaching the conditions. Persaud also breached the conditions, SARU said.
A source close to Manickchand said that there is nothing in Manickchand’s lease that prohibited her from selling her property within ten years.
Given the history and nature of the deal, SARU, believed that it has a strong case for the former Ministers to be charged with misconduct in public office.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse, of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring state lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties not for the benefit of themselves but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
SARU added that former President Bharrat Jagdeo would not be exempt from the charges.
The Pradoville Two transaction had drawn widespread criticisms from the public after the details came to light.
While Jagdeo and other beneficiaries paid $114 per square foot for the lands, ordinary Guyanese were made to $317 by CH&PA.
Remigrants, who were encouraged to come back and live in Guyana, paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
To make way for the Pradoville Two scheme, Jagdeo and his Cabinet spent more than $100M to remove a transmitting tower of the National Communications Network.

 

October 16, 2015

Pradoville 2 scandal… Jagdeo not exempt from prosecution – Attorney General

Once sufficient information and evidence is gathered by his Chambers, then Attorney General,

Basil Williams may institute a civil action against former Cabinet ministers. And former President Bharrat Jagdeo

could face prosecution, said Attorney General Basil Williams. He may be immune from prosecution for certain decisions he may have taken as president, provided these were legal actions.
Misappropriating state lands may not be within his purview, Williams said.
Questions on this front have been overwhelming. SARU confirmed with this newspaper Wednesday night that former President Bharrat Jagdeo is not exempt from the charges.
Adding his opinion on the matter, Williams said, “Yes the Constitution does provide immunity for him but it is a question of interpretation. Already we have had cases where they (Presidents) can justify their decision if they are acting within their powers, but if they acted outside of their powers then they cannot be protected.”
He continued, “The Constitution does say something to this effect about his immunity but it is all a question of interpretation in the courts. Even though you have power, you have to exercise it judiciously. And if you operate outside of it and you do so excessively, then you lose that protection.”
The Minister of Legal Affairs said that the only action that can be brought by his chambers on this matter is a civil action of misfeasance in Public Office, and once he is satisfied with it what they have gathered to make their case, his chambers will act accordingly.
“Once I find that we have sufficient evidence and I believe we have , then we will pursue the case because we have former ministers who knew that they were buying state lands at an undervalued price and then sold it for a profit,” said Williams.
Yesterday, he said that he is sure that there is sufficient evidence to support a common law charge of misfeasance in public office. The charge would stem from their involvement in the Pradoville Two deal back in 2010.
He added, “Ministers must know that they’re in an office of trust and they’re supposed to use their office for the benefit of the public and the state. They cannot be involved in an exercise that would undermine the rights of the state and cause the state to suffer loss or damage, and certainly when it comes to land they must know the value of those lands.”
A report by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) was forwarded to him earlier this week. The damning report recommended criminal charges for several former Cabinet Ministers who served under the Jagdeo-led administration. Commenting on the report, Williams said that the Pradoville Two deal is a clear case where former ministers obtained prime land at an undervalued price and then resold it for huge profits.
He said that the very nature of this situation is on par with others from the UK and Belize as outlined in the SARU report. He said, “It is a case where they used their office to profit unlawfully and at the expense of the state.”
Williams said that while the law may state that individuals could have brought the case of misfeasance in public office before the court, the Caribbean Court of Justice extends that power from individuals to the AG.
“So the AG could bring such an action but also criminal charges could be laid and that is misconduct in public office. That would be swifter while the civil side would take a while.”
The AG also made it clear that he cannot institute charges in this case as the person constitutionally empowered to do so is the DPP. He noted that while the Guyana Police Force can also institute such charges, should it act without the advice of the DPP, then she also has the power to intervene and take over the prosecutions started by the police.
“SARU sent its findings and I would recommend that it be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan. That would be for the criminal side.”
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

October 17, 2015

Pradoville 2 ‘Nancy story’ is a diversion –says PPP

Some executives of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) say that they are tickled, almost to tears, by a recent report coming out of Government’s anti-corruption unit which is recommending criminal charges against former PPP Ministers who were involved in a Pradoville 2 deal.

The report from the State Asset Recovery Unit said that prime land making up the Pradoville 2 scheme, was secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially lower than the market value thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
The PPP, on Thursday, issued a statement to the media stating that it rejects the findings of the report and views the entire Pradoville 2 debacle as a “nancy story” meant only to distract from the real issue at hand.
The Opposition party said that a wide cross section of the Guyanese society expressed nothing but disgust in the face of the shameless and unconscionable salary increases made recently by the APNU+AFC coalition government .
In a desperate effort to wage a fight-back, it said that the government Ministers one by one, tried to defend the increases. The party reminded that first it was Minster of State, Joseph Harmon, who told the public that, he has no apology to give for the increases followed by Attorney General Basil Williams who insisted that it was justified.
The Opposition said that Williams’ remarks were then supported by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, who had said that the salary increases for Members of Parliament were necessary to outline an income for Vice Presidents which did not exist before, to correct anomalies in the payment structure and because the work load has increased.
The PPP continued, “Minster of Governance, Raphael Trotman, then came out in Viva Zapata style defending their hefty pay hikes.  Others are bound to follow suit as the coalition sinks deeper and deeper in the quagmire which they have found themselves.”
The Opposition party said that one of the tools in Government’s damage control tool box is the technique called “diversion”.  It said that it is used to divert attention away from an issue such as the current salary increase debacle, which the Granger-led APNU+AFC coalition administration has come under severe criticism for on a daily basis.
The PPP said, “The government is hoping that by diverting the public’s attention away from itself and the obnoxious salary increase doled out to its Ministers, to the so-called Pradoville 2 inquisition by leaking the “results of the investigation and recommendations” by the shady and cabalistic Asset Recovery Unit, whose legality, composition and Terms of Reference remains a mystery, that they will succeed in re-focusing the public’s attention from itself and the current morass to the fabricated Pradoville 2 Nancy story.”
It continued, “Sadly, however, the apologists for the Granger-led coalition administration have failed miserably in their efforts at deception and will continue to do so”.
The most recent Trotman’s “trust us, believe us” pleadings have been clumsy and must be seen as further blundering by his administration. “The attempt to divert attention away from the salary issue is quite obvious to all and sundry.”
The Opposition questioned, “How can the APNU+AFC be “trusted” when in July, 2015 government spokespersons were all denying the hefty increases in their pay packets, but were in fact already benefitting from the increase which was made retroactive with effect from July 2015?”
The PPP said that these efforts are another manifestation of the incompetence of the Granger-led administration to fool the people.
It said that Harmon’s “arrogant” ‘No apologies to make’ outburst, re-enforces their determination that they will not budge on the issue. The PPP said that a public apology for Harmon’s misconduct is absolutely necessary.
The PPP said however, that it will not be daunted by the on-going APNU+AFC witch-hunting and campaign of vilification.
It emphasized that it will remain convinced that at length, the truth will out and the Party’s unsinkable faith in the people in general, and its members and supporters in particular, will eventually see the APNU+AFC being a sorry sight.
“All the evil and diabolical acts they have committed will be dashed to pieces and consigned to the dustbin of history,” it concluded.

 

October 17, 2015

Pradoville 2 expose…Jagdeo, Fmr. Ministers purchased land at 2000% below market value

The Pradoville 2 lands, sold to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and several Ministers of the previous administration were undervalued by almost 2,000 per cent. They were sold at $114 per square foot. Independent appraisals have pegged the price closer to $2,250 per square feet.

The State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) has completed a report into the conversion of some 15 acres of land at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The probe found that key members of the past administration were involved in transferring state lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices.
The independent appraisal was conducted against 10 acres of land on which the Georgetown Marriott was built.
While that land was actually sold to Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI) for $200M, an audit into that transaction had valued that tract of land to be worth some $980M.
This converts to $2,250 per square feet of the prime ocean front lands.
The Pradoville 2 land is located along the same strip of Guyana’s coastland, a few miles eastward.
At a rate of $114 this would mean that Government would only earn a meager $74.5M for the entire 15 acres of land set aside at Pradoville 2.
Had government sold the land at the market value—as appraised by independent evaluators—it could have earned a $1.4B.
This figure also excludes the almost $300M which was plugged into developing the project, monies expended by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
According to the report prepared by SARU, the land at Sparendaam, ECD, was once deemed Communal Lands and was thereafter owned by Demerara Sugar Estates prior to independence. The report states further that after independence in 1966 the land was owned by the state until 2010 when the Central Planning and Housing Authority (CHPA) privatized the land which was then sold to a number of former ministers and associates of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime.

Prior to being sold in 2010 the land was under the direct control of the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Guyana Television Station (GTV) which were later merged to form the National Communications Network (NCN).
SARU found that in 2007, NICIL was asked to facilitate the Ogle Airport Expansion programme, which “indicated that the tower on the land was interfering with the flight path. The tower was therefore relocated.”
This was done at a cost of $188M, an expenditure which was years later, reflected in the financial records of NCN as an investment.
NICIL also prepared a number of feasibility studies at the behest of Cabinet in 2010 for the lands to be privatized.
An additional $200M was also spent by NICIL preparing the land for its eventual sale.
Among the beneficiaries of the sale was former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who obtained the largest plot of land.
Others, according to SARU, are Robert Persaud, the former Natural Resources Minister and Priya Manickchand, former Education Minister, both of whom have since been accused of reselling their lands in contravention of the agreement under which the lands were transferred.
Persaud reportedly transferred the title to a relative before making a lucrative sale, netting some $99M while Manickchand sold hers for $100M.

Others said to be in receipt of lands under the now controversial arrangement includes People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Clement Rohee, himself a former Government Minister; Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Army Chief Gary Best and Future Developers Inc., among others.
SARU has since suggested that the former ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of the requisite legislation, “The Attorney General may institute proceedings against the Former Ministers.
Attorney General, Basil Williams, has since said, “Ministers must know that they’re in an office of trust and they’re supposed to use their office for the benefit of the public and the state…They cannot be involved in an exercise that would undermine the rights of the state and cause the state to suffer loss or damage, and certainly when it comes to land they must know the value of those lands.”
The Minister of Legal Affairs said that the only action that can be brought by his Chambers on this matter is a civil action of misfeasance in Public Office, and once he is satisfied with what they have gathered to make their case, his chambers will act accordingly.
“Once I find that we have sufficient evidence and I believe we have , then we will pursue the case because we have former ministers who knew that they were buying state lands at an undervalued price and then sold it for a profit,” said Williams.

 

October 18, 2015

Pradoville Two deal…SARU requests Public Security Ministry to investigate criminal aspects

The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) over the weekend, made a formal request to the Ministry of Public Security to investigate the criminal aspect of the Pradoville Two deal.

Earlier this week, SARU completed a report which stated, that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize state lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring state lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties not for the benefit of themselves but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”
SARU also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.
The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.
Further, based on the Cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.
Once sufficient information and evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams has said that a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.
The AG argued that Jagdeo may be immune from prosecution for certain decisions he may have taken as President, provided these were legal actions. Misappropriating state lands may not be within his purview, Williams said.
“The (Pradoville Two) matter however, also raises the question of potential unlawful conduct. A case in point: two former Ministers (Priya Manickchand and Robert M. Persaud) bought lands and resold them at $100 million and $90 million respectively, which is well over fifty times the price they paid for the said lands, in a space of three and four years respectively, notwithstanding the following limitation Clause in the Agreement of Sale,” the Unit informed the Minister.
The Clause being referred to states, “The transferee shall not be at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part possession of the said property within ten years of transfer without the written consent of the Minister responsible for Housing …”
Williams had said that the very nature of this situation is on par with others from the UK and Belize as outlined in the SARU report. He said, “It is a case where they used their office to profit unlawfully and at the expense of the state.”
The Legal Affairs Minister said that while the law may state that individuals could have brought the case of misfeasance in public office before the court, the Caribbean Court of Justice extends that power from individuals to the AG.
“So the AG could bring such an action but also criminal charges could be laid and that is misconduct in public office. That would be swifter while the civil side would take a while.”
The AG also made it clear that he cannot institute charges in this case; the person constitutionally empowered to do so is the DPP. He noted that while the Guyana Police Force can also institute such charges, should it act without the advice of the DPP, then she also has the power to intervene and take over the prosecutions started by the police.
“SARU sent its findings and I would recommend that they be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan. That would be for the criminal side.”
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

October 29, 2015

Pradoville 11 Scandal…AG Chambers gathering evidence against Jagdeo, fmr. Ministers

The Attorney General Chambers is still in the process of gathering evidence in the matter related to a 15-acre tract of land at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara. The land was transformed into a posh residential community where the lots were sold to several former Ministers of Government and other high level officials, including the former President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Attorney General, Basil Williams, yesterday provided an update in the matter which has since attracted the attention of the Court through civil litigation that was brought against a number of those given house-lots by former A Partnership for National Unity Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman.
Williams was asked to give an update as he held a media briefing at his Chambers yesterday.
He told media operatives, “We have to get the requisite evidence from the unit that sent it over.”
He was making reference to the recommendations by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) which had called for charges to be laid against those involved in the transaction.
Infamously referred to as Pradoville II, Williams said that as long as evidence can be found to substantiate civil action, then there is basis for criminal action, “which is swifter.”
He pointed too to the state of affairs over at Red House, which was leased by the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration to itself and said as long as civil wrongdoing can be ascertained then that lays the basis for criminal action.
According to Williams, the Sparendaam lands now referred to as Pradoville II were not sold to the former Ministers among others, on an as is, where is basis.
The former administration, he recalled expended huge sums of monies to prepare the land before it was sold the selected persons.
“Millions of dollars was spent on that land to bring it up to a standard,” before it was “given” to the former Government Officials.
He drew reference too, to the actual ownership of the land and pointed to the school of thought which suggests that the land was in fact Communal Lands owned by the people of Sparendaam/Plaisance.
“So how was it just reduced into the custody of government for those kinds of machinations,” said Williams.
He questioned whether the former PPP administration did not have the requisite foresight to realize that the transaction would have landed it into trouble.
SARU had conducted an investigation into the transactions surrounding the Pradoville II transactions and reported that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize state lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seaside community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially lower than the market value for the land thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
Jagdeo himself paid only $9.8M, giving himself two acres of lands that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
SARU has since argued that the former Ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of legislation for the unit, that the Attorney General, Basil Williams, may institute proceedings against the former Ministers.
The unit said that the actions of the former cabinet Ministers have shown that they willfully neglected to perform their duties without reasonable excuse or justification to such an extent that it amounted to an abuse of the public trust in the office holders, hence its belief that criminal charges are indeed warranted.
Providing a brief history of the nature of the Pradoville Two deal, SARU reported that Tract A of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara was once deemed as Communal Lands, thereafter owned by Demerara Sugar Estates prior to independence.
After independence in 1966, it said that this plot of land was owned by the State of Guyana. The land remained state lands until 2010 when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) privatized the land and sold it to the former Ministers and associates of the former regime.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse, of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring state lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
The Pradoville transaction had drawn widespread criticisms from the public after the details came to light.
While Jagdeo and other beneficiaries paid $114 per square foot for the lands, ordinary Guyanese were made to $317 by CH&PA.
Remigrants, who were encouraged to come back and live in Guyana, paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.

 

October 30, 2015

Pradoville 2 scandal… DPP clears way for probe into criminal aspect

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack has given the green light for a full blown investigation into the criminal aspect of the contentious Pradoville Two deal.

This is according to Head of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), Dr. Clive Thomas.

Kaieteur News understands that SARU recently wrote the DPP requesting that the matter be investigated and she has since handed over the case to the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud for further investigations to begin.

Dr. Thomas said that he is pleased with the fact that the DPP’s office has acknowledged SARU’s request and has since acted expeditiously in that regard.

“After our request, the DPP wrote back to me saying that her office is constitutionally mandated to look into the criminal aspect of this case and said that with my permission she would forward it to the Commissioner of Police. I wrote her back saying that we have no objection and this was done,” Dr. Thomas.

In addition to calling on the DPP to investigate the matter, SARU had also put in a formal request at the Ministry of Public Security to probe the criminal aspect of the Pradoville Two deal.

In early October, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.

It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.

The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”

“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”

In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.

“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”

SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.

The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.

Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.

Once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams had said that a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.

The AG had argued that Jagdeo may be immune from prosecution for certain decisions he may have taken as President, provided these were legal actions. Misappropriating State lands may not be within his purview, Williams said.

The AG also made it clear that he cannot institute charges in this case; the person constitutionally empowered to do so is the DPP. He noted that while the Guyana Police Force can also institute such charges, should it act without the advice of the DPP, then she also has the power to intervene and take over the prosecutions started by the police.

The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.

Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

November 24, 2015

Pradoville 2 scandal…Cops seek legal advise on charges for Jagdeo, ex-Ministers

Investigators are continuing to study a key report that recommends charges against former President Bharrat Jagdeo and a number of ex-Ministers over the allocation and sale of prime seaside property at Sparendaam to themselves.

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, questioned about the status of investigations, yesterday disclosed that a file prepared by the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), and recommending actions, has been received.
It is being studied by the police legal advisor to determine how investigators will proceed, the Crime Chief disclosed.
SARU, headed by economist, Professor Clive Thomas, was appointed by the David Granger administration to retrieve properties believed stolen or acquired through illegal means by government officials.
The case of the Sparendaam property, known as Pradoville Two, located on the East Coast of Demerara, was the first major one announced by SARU that has recommended charges.
And it could go no higher than Jagdeo whose two terms as President of Guyana was dogged by accusations of corruption.
There has been impatience with the pace of investigations under the new administration which had vowed to investigate all reports of corrupt transactions that allegedly took place under Jagdeo’s rule.
While there have been questions over what charges are likely and whether Jagdeo has presidential immunity, legal experts have also not ruled out civil actions being filed.
The Pradoville Two deal itself had raised eyebrows as the property was not opened for ordinary citizens to have a shot at acquiring.
SARU’s report last month noted that in 2010, the Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the

National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize state lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seaside community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially lower than the market value for the land thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
Jagdeo himself paid only $9.8M, giving himself two acres of lands that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
SARU argued that the former Ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of legislation for the unit, that the Attorney General, Basil Williams, may institute proceedings against the former Ministers.
The unit said that the actions of the former cabinet Ministers have shown that they willfully neglected to perform their duties without reasonable excuse or justification to such an extent that it amounted to an abuse of the public trust in the office holders, hence its belief that criminal charges are indeed warranted.
The report cited several court cases regarding public officials as its basis for recommending that criminal charges be brought.
Providing a brief history of the nature of the Pradoville Two deal, SARU reported that Tract A of Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara was once deemed as Communal Lands, thereafter owned by Demerara Sugar Estates prior

to independence.
After independence, it said that this plot of land was owned by the State of Guyana. The land remained State Lands until 2010 when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) privatized the land and sold it to the former Ministers and associates of the former regime.
In 2010, Jagdeo was sold 1.5 acres of land, Block III, Parcel 246 Lot 246 Plantation Goedverwagting and 0.4603 acres, Block III, Parcel 241.
Former Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, was sold Lot 239 Goedverwagting, Block III, which is 0.3030 acres. The report noted that on September 20, 2011 the land was transferred to Kamini Persaud and Robert Persaud Jnr.  The land with the house was then sold on September 18, 2014 to LSR Inc. Company for $90M. LSR’s public records indicate that its Secretary and Director is Andrew Pollard.
Also benefitting was former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, who was sold a Lot 238 Goedverwagting, Block III; former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, was sold Block IV, parcel, 176. She later sold the property to one Dave Naraine on February 21, 2013 for $100M.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo; former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon; PPP General Secretary and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former Labour Minister and Dr. Nanda Gopaul.
The lands were transferred to the persons on various conditions- one of which included that the transferee shall not be at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part with possession of the said property within ten years of transfer without the written consent of the Minister responsible for Housing.
Breaches
According to the SARU report, however, Manickchand sold her land three years after purchasing it and she did so without written permission from the CH&PA, thereby breaching the conditions. Persaud also breached the conditions, SARU said.
Given the history and nature of the deal, SARU, believed that it has a strong case for the former Ministers to be charged with misconduct in public office.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse, of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring state lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties not for the benefit of themselves but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
SARU added that former President Bharrat Jagdeo would not be exempt from the charges.
The Pradoville Two transaction had drawn widespread criticisms from the public after the details came to light.
While Jagdeo and other beneficiaries paid $114 per square foot for the lands, ordinary Guyanese were made to $317 by CH&PA.
Remigrants, who were encouraged to come back and live in Guyana, paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
To make way for the Pradoville Two scheme, Jagdeo and his Cabinet spent more than $100M to remove a transmitting tower of the National Communications Network.
Last month, Attorney General, Basil Williams, did not rule out a civil action against former Cabinet ministers and Jagdeo.
Williams is reported as saying that Jagdeo can only be immune from certain decisions he may have taken as President, provided these were legal actions.
Misappropriating state lands is considered a legal action, Williams said.

 

December 10, 2015

Cops secure evidence for prosecution in Pradoville 2

Police investigators have now secured potential evidence in the matter involving the controversial allocation and sale of prime seaside property at Sparendaam to themselves by former President Bharrat Jagdeo and a number

of ex-Ministers.
The police are carrying out investigations based on the recommendations of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), headed by Professor Clive Thomas.
The investigation had been stalled after the police were advised by their Legal Advisor Justice Claudette Singh to seek clarification on several aspects of the matter.
Last evening, Professor Thomas explained the sequence of events that have so far occurred with regard to the status of the matter.
He said that the SARU first sent its recommendation to the Director of Public Prosecution, who then forwarded it to the police for them to conduct investigations.
The police investigators then consulted with Justice Singh who advised them to seek some clarification from the SARU, since they were not provided with an actual file of potential evidence.
This was subsequently done and according to Professor Thomas that process was finalized earlier this week.
“The police did come to us to see what evidence we have….to the best of my knowledge, the evidence was provided,” Professor Thomas told Kaieteur News.
SARU was appointed by the David Granger administration to retrieve properties believed stolen or acquired through illegal means by government officials.
The case of the Sparendaam property, known as Pradoville 2, located on East Coast Demerara, was the first major one to have charges recommended by SARU.
There has been impatience with the pace of investigations under the new administration which had vowed to investigate all reports of corrupt transactions that allegedly took place under Jagdeo’s rule.
While there have been questions over what charges are likely and whether Jagdeo has presidential immunity, legal experts have also not ruled out civil actions.
The Pradoville 2 deal itself had raised eyebrows as the property was not opened for ordinary citizens to have a shot at acquiring.
SARU’s report last month noted that in 2010, the Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL), to privatize state lands. NICIL, during the tenure of the People’s Progressive Party government, became tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seaside community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially below the market value thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
Jagdeo himself paid only $9.8M, for two acres of lands that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
SARU argued that the former Ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of legislation for the unit, that the Attorney General, Basil Williams, may institute proceedings against the former Ministers.
The unit said that the actions of the former Cabinet Ministers have shown that they willfully neglected to perform their duties without reasonable excuse or justification to such an extent that it amounted to an abuse of the public trust in the office holders, hence its belief that criminal charges are indeed warranted.
In 2010, Jagdeo was sold 1.5 acres of land, Block III, Parcel 246 Lot 246 Plantation Goedverwagting and 0.4603 acres, Block III, Parcel 241.
Former Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, was sold Lot 239 Goedverwagting, Block III, which is 0.3030 acres. The report noted that on September 20, 2011 the land was transferred to Kamini Persaud and Robert Persaud Jnr.  The land with the house was then sold on September 18, 2014 to LSR Inc. Company for $90M. LSR’s public records indicate that its Secretary and Director is Andrew Pollard.
Also benefitting was former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, who was sold a Lot 238 Goedverwagting, Block III; former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, was sold Block IV, parcel 176. She later sold the property to one Dave Naraine on February 21, 2013 for $100M.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo; former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon; PPP General Secretary and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former Labour Minister and Dr. Nanda Gopaul.
The lands were transferred to the persons on various conditions- one of which included that the transferee shall not be at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part with possession of the said property within ten years of transfer without the written consent of the Minister responsible for Housing.
According to the SARU report, however, Manickchand sold her land three years after purchasing it and she did so without written permission from the CH&PA, thereby breaching the conditions.
Persaud also breached the conditions, SARU said.
Given the history and nature of the deal, SARU, believed that it has a strong case for the former Ministers to be charged with misconduct in public office.

 

December 22, 2015

Brassington cries ignorance on Pradoville Two deal

NICIL’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Winston Brassington, is claiming that his entity was kept out of the loop when it comes to the details of the Pradoville Two deal.

In spite of the fact that it was NICIL that funded the development of the land, Brassington told members of the media yesterday, that he was not aware that the land was going to be allocated to members of the then PPP government or on what basis the land was going to be allocated.
Brassington said, “That is not my decision or responsibility and I was not in the know.”
In 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing NICIL to privatize state lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
During a press conference at NICIL’s Kingston office, Brassington was pressed by the media to say if in retrospect, he agrees with the manner in which the Pradoville Two deal was done.
He said, “I am an officer of NICIL and I acted on authority, on written Cabinet decisions …In an organization there is a hierarchy and unless it’s illegal, then I intend to follow those directions.”
The NICIL CEO explained that the role of his entity was “incidental.” He said that Ogle Airport Runway was receiving funding from the European Union so that it could be developed.
He said that it was a written condition that the power antenna at Sparendaam be removed because it would have interfered with the work required. Brassington explained that NICIL was asked to dismantle the antenna which belonged to the National Communications Network (NCN).
Since NCN is a subsidiary of NICIL, Brassington said that the cost to remove the antenna from Sparendaam to Onderneeming was seen as an investment.
“NICIL was asked to fund the cost of building a new antenna and we brought it over to Onderneeming. So that was our role. All the monies invested in the building of the tower and the antenna became equity in NCN. Additionally, NICIL was asked to do some development work on the land because Government was going to develop it into a housing scheme, and that was being handled by Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and the then Ministry of Housing,” expressed Brassington.
He continued, “All NICIL was asked to do was to fund the road into the compound and this was around $70M. We also had to relocate the Docker’s Club. Its relocation was to allow for the access road from the development onto the public road. All of this was approved by Cabinet. Beyond this, NICIL had no role or no knowledge in the allocation of the house lots.
“NICIL did not enter into any agreement or receive any money. All of the transactions would have been done through the CHPA and the Ministry of Housing…So on behalf of Government, we were asked to do some preliminary development work and expenditure was approved by the NICIL Board and Cabinet.”
Guyana’s State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) had completed a damning report on the Pradoville Two deal, recommending criminal charges for the beneficiaries of the scheme.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands into their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconducted themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency, to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”

 

January 19, 2016

Former MP challenges Jagdeo, DPP others to justify ownership of Pradoville 2 lands

By Abena Rockcliffe
Former Member of Parliament, Desmond Trotman, has made submissions to the court to have all persons who

own lands in Pradoville 2 to be added as interested parties to a court case he filed late last year.
Last September, Trotman moved to the courts to challenge the sale and transfer of acres of prime ocean-front state lands to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, past government Ministers and other close associates.
Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, last evening confirmed that he will be representing several of the persons who have now been joined as interested parties.
These persons were originally excluded, but following submissions, the court has ordered that each be joined to the original action.
Nandlall said that he will argue that the proceedings are misconceived and are bad in law.
“These people have certificates of titles issued to them.”
He explained that Certificates of titles (Transport) are indefeasible. Nandlall said, “One can only defease a registered proprietor of his title on the ground of fraud.”
Nandlall said that unless it can be established that the registered proprietors acquired their property by fraud “their titles cannot be touched.”
The former AG told Kaieteur News that the fact that the land owners may have purchased their title below market value does not amount to fraud.
Further, Nandlall said, “More importantly” some of these title holders have mortgages registered against these properties.
“So third party has now acquired registered encumbrance on the properties,” said Nandlall.

The lawyer surmised that based on those two and other points, “It is almost impossible to impugn these titles. Then of course these persons would have developed the land and constructed properties thereby expending money with no knowledge of wrongdoing or fraud.
Nandlall opined that “the entire thing is just a fishing expedition.”
He said that he will argue that it is an abuse of the court process as well as a waste of judicial time.
Further, Nandlall pointed that the judiciary is an organ of state and said that the constitution protects private property against compulsory acquisition by the state.
Therefore, if the judiciary is to issue any order that would adversely affect the property interest of these people it will have constitutional implications.
Nandlall said that despite the fact that Trotman is a private citizen, he has moved an arm of the state and “when the court makes an order it is the state that is making the order.”
One of the grounds upon which the court case was filed, was that the lands were distributed way below their worth, But Nandlall said that the law doesn’t make consideration of adequacy once no fraud has taken place.
The lawyer further stated, “If you get a pacu to sell you a multi-million-dollar property for a dollar, the law doesn’t interfere with the transaction; you have freedom to contract.
Nandlall said, “You have lots of issues…it’s a very complex case, not straight forward at all.
Trotman, the Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Incorporated, and Senior Counsel Rex McKay, are seeking a mandatory order directed to each of the property owners that the legal and beneficial ownership of the parcels of land at Plantations Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, purported to be sold and transferred to them, shall be returned to the State.

Trotman is claiming that the prime lands were covertly sold at undervalued prices in a manner clearly lacking transparency and in an effort to develop the exclusive scheme, orders came from Cabinet and not through the requisite statutory bodies.
Trotman brought to the court’s attention that the millions of dollars have been spent to develop the area but it was done unlawfully. The act was an abuse of power by the then Executive in contravention of the rights of the people, Trotman said.
In this light, the court has been asked to also grant a conservatory order prohibiting the Registrar of Lands from registering or transferring, or in any form or manner encumbering any of the parcels of land located in what is popularly known as Pradoville 2.
Trotman said the proceedings have been laid out in the interest of the public.
The court is being asked to declare that the move by the former Cabinet to authorize National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) to approve the mutation of the parcels of East Coast Demerara lands without the authorisation and approval of Parliament, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and other relevant statutory authorities “is arbitrary, unconstitutional, unreasonable, unlawful, ultra vires, null and void, ab initio and of no legal effect.”
Trotman wants the court to declare, too, that the purported conferment of the benefits, advantages and facilities by the then Cabinet and administrative actions of the State on the purported purchasers of parcels of the state lands, to acquire titles for them an abuse of power by the Executive in contravention of the rights of the people.
In his affidavit of support, Trotman said that on September 2, 2010, parcels of the lands were registered to PPP Government ministers and their blood relatives, known supporters of the party and other senior influential Government employees.
Among those he listed were Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, former Ministers Robert Persaud (Natural Resources), Sheik Baksh (Housing and Water), Clement Rohee (Home Affairs), Priya Manickchand (Education), Jennifer Westford (Public Service), along with Lisaveta Ramotar, General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board and daughter of former President Donald Ramotar.
These have all been joined in the action.
According to Trotman’s supporting document, beneficiaries of the Government’s largesse were also former Chief Executive Officer of GuySuCo, Dr. Rajendra Singh; former President of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo, and Andrew Ranji Bishop, Florrie Loretta Ramnauth, Safraz Khan. Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Hack, and her husband Moeenul Hack, Former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Rear Admiral Gary Best, and former Chairman of Commonwealth Development Compton Bourne

 

March 6, 2016

 

Application Filed to Dismiss Pradoville 2 land case

The legal challenge to the sale of plots of land at Pradoville 2 took a surprising turn when Attorney for Ramesh Dookhoo and Florrie Ramnauth, Devindra Kissoon, intervened in the proceedings and filed an application to dismiss the case instead of defending the matter.
A group headed by former APNU Member of Parliament Desmond Trotman moved to the High Court last September seeking, among other things, to have the sale of the land declared null and void. They argued that the sales were done surreptitiously at undervalued prices to former government Ministers, officials and cronies of the PPP/C.
Trotman and the Committee for the Defence for the Constitution Inc, represented by Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston, Bettina Glasford and Brenden Glasford, filed the constitutional action claiming that they were discriminated against in violation of Article 149 of the Constitution, seeking ten declarations to have the court declare the transfer of lands unlawful and asking the Court to set aside the “purported sale and transfer to the putative owners” of the said parcels of land and an order directing each owner that the legal and beneficial ownership of the lands vest in the Minister of Finance.
Both Ramesh Dookhoo and Florrie Ramnauth purchased lands in Pradoville 2 in 2010. Ramnauth later constructed a house.
Kissoon, in filing his application to dismiss, argued that the action “Constitutes a gross abuse of the Court’s process, being filed more than five years after the passage of title to the Intervenors, this in ordinate delay alone as a matter of law being sufficient to dismiss the Applicants’ motion.”
Kissoon argued that if the Court grants the reliefs sought, the intervenors would be deprived of their property in violation of the constitution without just compensation. Kissoon also argued that the applicants have failed to demonstrate that they are true comparators to the purchasers of the Pradoville 2 land, that they have failed to properly state how they have been discriminated against, there being no proof that they even attempted to purchase the lands, and that there is a separate procedure under the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purpose Act which provides the only constitutional basis upon which land can be seized from a private citizen.
Kissoon argued that the Trotman-led applicants were laboring under the “misconception that the Constitution is panacean in character, capacitated for the eventual solution of all legal problems.” Kissoon’s motion to dismiss comes up before Chief Justice Yonette Cummings on Tuesday.

 

April 11, 2016

After four months of investigation…Cops still await legal advice on Pradoville 2 scandal

Four months after they reportedly secured evidence on the controversial allocation and sale of prime seaside property at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and a number of ex-Ministers, police investigators seem to be stumped on the institution of criminal charges.
The police are said to be still carrying out investigations into the matter based on the recommendations of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), headed by Professor Clive Thomas.
When this newspaper last checked with the police on the matter, the file was still engaging the attention of its Legal Advisor Justice Claudette Singh.
This was sometime last week.
A high ranking source in the Guyana Police Force indicated that up to a month ago the file was actively engaging the attention of the Legal Advisor.
According to one legal mind, the question to be asked is: Is the Police Force properly equipped to investigate such a matter?  When the matter was first sent to the police, sometime in November last year, the investigations were stalled after they were advised to seek clarification on several aspects of the matter.
Head of SARU, Professor Clive Thomas, had said that from the inception, the entity first sent its recommendation to the Director of Public Prosecution, who then forwarded it to the police for them to conduct investigations.
The police investigators then consulted with Justice Singh who advised them to seek some clarification from SARU, since they were not provided with an actual file of potential evidence.

This was subsequently done and according to Professor Thomas, that process was finalized in early November.
“The police did come to us to see what evidence we have….to the best of my knowledge, the evidence was provided,” Professor Thomas had told Kaieteur News late last year.
SARU was appointed by the David Granger administration to retrieve properties believed stolen or acquired through illegal means by former government officials.
The case of the Sparendaam property, known as Pradoville 2, located on East Coast Demerara, was the first major one to have charges recommended by SARU.
There has been impatience with the pace of investigations under the new administration which had vowed to investigate all reports of corrupt transactions that allegedly took place under former President Bharat Jagdeo’s rule.
While there have been questions over what charges are likely and whether Jagdeo has presidential immunity, legal experts have also not ruled out civil action.
The Pradoville 2 deal itself had raised eyebrows as the property was not opened for ordinary citizens to have a shot at acquiring.

SARU’s report in October last year had noted that in 2010, the Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL), to privatize state lands. NICIL, during the tenure of the People’s Progressive Party government, became tasked with overseeing the privatization of state assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seaside community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime.
At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold substantially below the market value thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
Jagdeo himself paid only $9.8M, for two acres of lands that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.
SARU argued that the former Ministers could be held liable for misconduct in public office and in the absence of legislation for the unit, that the Attorney General, Basil Williams, may institute proceedings against the former Ministers.
The unit said that the actions of the former Cabinet Ministers have shown that they willfully neglected to perform their duties without reasonable excuse or justification to such an extent that it amounted to an abuse of the public trust in the office holders, hence its belief that criminal charges are indeed warranted.
In 2010, Jagdeo was sold 1.5 acres of land, Block III, Parcel 246 Lot 246 Plantation Goedverwagting and 0.4603 acres, Block III, Parcel 241.
Former Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, was sold Lot 239 Goedverwagting, Block III, which is 0.3030 acres. The report noted that on September 20, 2011 the land was transferred to Kamini Persaud and Robert Persaud Jnr.  The land with the house was then sold on September 18, 2014 to LSR Inc. Company for $90M. LSR’s public records indicate that its Secretary and Director is Andrew Pollard.
Also benefitting was former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, who was sold a Lot 238 Goedverwagting, Block III; former Education Minister, Priya Manickchand, was sold Block IV, parcel 176. She later sold the property to one Dave Naraine on February 21, 2013 for $100M.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo; former Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon; PPP General Secretary and former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee and former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul.
The lands were transferred to the persons on various conditions- one of which included that the transferee shall not be at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part with possession of the said property within ten years of transfer without the written consent of the Minister responsible for Housing.
According to the SARU report, however, Manickchand sold her land three years after purchasing it and she did so without written permission from the CH&PA, thereby breaching the conditions.
Persaud also breached the conditions, SARU said.
Given the history and nature of the deal, SARU, believed that it has a strong case for the former Ministers to be charged with misconduct in public office.
But to date, there is no indication on whether the police are inclined to institute those charges despite reportedly securing all the evidence needed.

 

June 25, 2016

Nine months later …Charges in Pradoville matter still to be instituted

It is over nine months since the release of the infamous Pradoville file and charges for the officials

implicated are still to be made. Kaieteur News made several calls this week to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to explain this state of affairs but all proved futile.
It was since October last year that DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack gave the green light for a full blown investigation into the criminal aspect of the contentious Pradoville Two deal. But there has been no word on the matter to date.
The State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) had written, recently, to the DPP requesting that the matter be investigated. The DPP has since handed over the case to the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, for further investigations to begin.
SARU Head, Dr. Clive Thomas had also put in a formal request at the Ministry of Public Security to probe the criminal aspect of the Pradoville Two deal.
In early October, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”
SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.
The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.
Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.
Once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams had said that a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

July 04, 2016

Pradoville 2 fiasco… Civil proceedings recommended against Jagdeo, others

-but SARU wants criminal charges

 “We have received advice from practiced, local and international legal agents… on the view that the advice is flawed. As far as we are concerned, there is no impediment to criminal charges being laid.” – Dr Thomas

 

By: Kiana Wilburg

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) believes that there is no solid ground for the pursuit of criminal charges against former President Bharrat Jagdeo and others in the infamous Pradoville 2 fiasco.

Instead, it has informed the Head of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), Dr. Clive Thomas, that there seems to be only scope for civil proceedings to be had.

That’s not going down well with the SARU boss. Dr. Thomas insists that while SARU will follow the DPP’s advice, it will continue to push for criminal charges to be brought against those implicated in the scheme.

The SARU Head believes that there is a strong case where the  Pradoville 2 matter is concerned and insists that the advice on civil charges is flawed.

“With regard to the Pradoville case, we wrote the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack since last year November and we only got a reply about a week ago. We noted that the DPP did not make detailed comments on the issue, but rather informed us on the advice she received from their legal advisor. The advice is that there are no grounds for criminal charges, but we can pursue civil proceedings.”

“We noted in our reply to the DPP that we have received advice from practiced, local and international legal agents, all of whom agree that there are grounds for criminal proceedings…We therefore believe that the advice she received is flawed. We reject entirely the advice both in letter and spirit. We also received local and international support on the view that the advice is flawed. As far as we are concerned, there is no impediment to criminal charges being laid.”

The SARU Head said that he also noted in his reply to the DPP that while it will pursue the civil grounds, the Unit strongly believes that this is not enough.

“Even members of the international community, which we received advice from, do not agree with this and we reminded her of our arguments and advice on the matter. We will now wait to see what is going to be her reply in this regard,” Dr. Thomas said.

In early October, 2015 SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”
SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.
The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.
Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.
Once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams had said that a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

July 12, 2016

Pradoville Two Land Distribution case… Let the consequences be what they may – Rohee

It has been almost one year since the infamous “Pradoville Two” land distribution scheme was revealed to the nation. Facts showed members of the former PPP/C administration and prominent citizens acquiring prime real estate at considerably low prices.

Since the APNU-AFC coalition government gained office, the State’s Assets Recovery Unit has been investigating the matter.
At a press conference last Tuesday, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic, Clement Rohee, said that if SARU believes it has a case, then the unit should take its file to Director of Public Prosecution Shalimar Ali-Hack.
Rohee who was listed as a recipient of a plot of land in the community said, “The DPP would have to pronounce, I don’t think SARU has any authority to arrest or to prosecute anybody; they’re just a body in the Ministry of the Presidency.” The Member of Parliament added that SARU is synonymous with a “toothless poodle”.
The DPP is also on the list of beneficiaries of land in the East Coast Demerara community. When asked if he believes Ali-Hack would have an impartial stance when dealing with the matter; Rohee said that the office of the DPP has always been an independent and autonomous body.

The General Secretary is of the belief that once there is a strong case against those persons who have come to own land in the community, then the matter should be followed to the full extent of the law.
Head of SARU Dr. Clive Thomas insisted that his entity plans to continue pushing for criminal charges to be laid.
Last October, SARU had completed a report which revealed that in 2010 President Bharrat Jagdeo and his Cabinet authorized the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize state lands.
It was reported that $200M was spent to prepare the seafront estate. Certain recipients reportedly paid a meagre $1.5M for one lot.
Some of the recipients included former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; Former Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud; former GWI Head Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand; Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor under the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; former CEO of Guyana Sugar Corporation Rajendra Singh and former Head of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo.

 

July 21, 2016

Pradoville Two Case… Lack of evaluation of lands, strong paper trail stall case –Police Legal Advisor

By Kiana Wilburg 

In order to move forward on the Pradoville Two fiasco which implicates former President Bharrat Jagdeo and others, a key loophole needs to be closed.

According to Police Legal Advisor, Justice Claudette Singh, that gaping hole in the case is the fact that there is no valuation of the lands which investigators allege to be undersold by Jagdeo and former Cabinet members.

Singh said she made it clear to the investigators that if their claim is that the public officials got state lands at a “next to nothing” price, and then resold it for a fortune, they must first determine what the original cost of the lands was at that time.

In doing this, Justice Singh said she would be able to evaluate by how much the lands were undersold.

The Police Legal Advisor said, “If they get the valuation of the lands at that time then we can move forward. I made that clear to them weeks now and I am still waiting on that valuation.”

Justice Singh made it pellucid that while investigators may want to pursue the criminal route on this matter, it would be incumbent on them to ensure that all the necessary, concrete evidence is available to put forward a “tight case” in the court.

“They need to have a tight case with this matter and they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that embezzlement or fraud took place. While there is not enough at the moment to move forward with criminal proceedings, I did explain that the option of civil proceedings is still open to the investigators.”

She said, too, that the lack of a proper paper trail is another aspect that is affecting the construction of a bullet proof case.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has since advised the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) of this state of affairs. But SARU’s Head, Dr. Clive Thomas insists that he will continue to push for criminal charges to be brought against those implicated in the scheme.

The SARU Head believes that there is a strong case where the Pradoville 2 matter is concerned.

In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.

It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.

The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”

“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”

In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.

“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”

SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.

The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former Ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.

Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.

Once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams had said that a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.

The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack, as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.

Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

July 24, 2016

SARU makes significant headway in valuation for Pradoville Two lands

It appears that the contentious Pradoville Two case would not be stalled for much longer. In fact, officials at the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) said that they are approaching the conclusion of the valuation of lands which it believes were attained at “next to nothing” prices by former President Bharrat Jagdeo and others, and subsequently sold for a fortune.

Just a few days ago, Police Legal Advisor, Justice Claudette Singh, opined that the lack of valuation of the controversial lands was one of the loopholes in SARU’s case.
Singh said she made it clear to the investigators that if their claim is that the public officials got state lands at “dirt cheap prices”, and then resold it for a fortune, they must first determine what the original cost of the lands was at that time.
In doing this, Justice Singh said she would be able to evaluate by how much the lands were undersold.
The Police Legal Advisor said, “If they get the valuation of the lands at that time then we can move forward. I made that clear to them weeks now and I am still waiting on that valuation.”
Justice Singh made it pellucidly clear that while investigators may want to pursue the criminal route on this matter, it would be incumbent on them to ensure that all the necessary, concrete evidence is available to put forward a “tight case” in the court.
“They need to have a tight case with this matter. They have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that embezzlement or fraud took place. While there is not enough at the moment to move forward with criminal proceedings, I did explain that the option of civil proceedings is still open to the investigators.”
SARU Head, Dr. Clive Thomas, said that he has noted the advice and findings of the Legal Advisor and the Unit has already taken steps to improve the case accordingly.
SARU is expected to have the “improved case” returned to the Police Legal before the beginning of August. Dr. Thomas said that the matter is one which remains a priority to the Unit and as such, will take all necessary steps to ensure “no stones are left unturned.”
It was in early October 2015 that SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it is requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”
SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it has also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.
The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former Ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust.
Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.
Once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, Williams had said that civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers will be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Miss Shalimar Ali-Hack, as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

September 11, 2016

SARU stalling Pradoville Two case – Police Legal Advisor

The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) is now being accused of holding up the highly controversial Pradoville Two Case.
In a brief interview with this newspaper yesterday, Police Legal Advisor, Justice Claudette Singh said that it is now well over three months since the Unit has been unable to provide her with the valuation of the lands in the case.

Justice Singh opined that the lack of valuation of the controversial lands was one of the loopholes in bringing criminal charges against those implicated in the Pradoville fiasco.
Justice Singh said she made it clear to the investigators that if their claim is that the public officials got state lands at “dirt cheap prices”, and then resold it for a fortune, they must first determine what the original cost of the lands was at that time.
In doing this, Justice Singh said she would be able to evaluate by how much the lands were undersold.
The Police Legal Advisor said, “If they get the valuation of the lands at that time then we can move forward. I made that clear to them a long time now and I am still waiting on that valuation. They don’t even call to give an update on what is going on.”
Singh also noted that she is extremely disappointed in the Unit, and expected that it would have dealt with the matter in a more timely manner, especially when one takes into account that SARU produced the initial report on the case.
In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands.
NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”

“Public officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole. If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”
In a letter addressed to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, SARU had said that based on its findings, it was requesting that Ramjattan’s Office proceed to further investigate unlawful aspects of this matter, with the aim of establishing whether criminal action should be instituted.
“It is the duty of this Unit in the Ministry of the Presidency to ensure that no Minister of Government in Guyana would be the beneficiary from any acts of misconduct or unlawful conduct while being holders of Public Office.”
SARU had also informed the Public Security Minister that it had also forwarded its report to the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, along with a copy of a Legal Opinion on the potential misconduct in Public Office by the former Ministers.
The document on the Legal Opinion says that there is legal scope for the argument of willful neglect by the former Ministers in performing their duties without reasonable excuse or facilitation to an extent amounting to an abuse of the public trust. Further, based on the cases cited, the document outlines that the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, has Legal Standing on this matter.
Williams had said that once sufficient evidence is gathered by his Chambers, a civil action against the former Cabinet Ministers would be instituted. He had explained to the media that former President Bharrat Jagdeo could face prosecution.
The SARU report however lists the DPP, Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land.
Asked how this looming situation of conflict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

 

October 29, 2016

Govt. orders police probe into Pradoville 2 land sale

– Special prosecution teams to help prepare cases
– 2007 Cricket World Cup spending to also be investigated

Acting on the findings of two forensic audits, Government has ordered that the matters be handed over to the police for further investigations.
The two audits include the now infamous transfer and sale of a large plot of seaside land behind the Sparendaam police station, East Coast Demerara, which was reportedly sold below market price to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and a number of former Government ministers.
The other case has to do with the 2007 spending during Cricket World Cup.
Speaking yesterday at a post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of State Joseph Harmon disclosed that the forensic audit reports of the two sets of transactions were presented to the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday by Minister Winston Jordan.
Harmon disclosed that Cabinet, after examining the reports, concluded that enough evidence existed of criminal culpabilities, and it would require further investigations.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, has been given one week to submit names of the special prosecution teams.
Harmon was unsure whether the investigations will be conducted by the police or by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an arm of the Guyana Police Force.
With regards to the special prosecution teams, Harmon disclosed that it is likely international help may be sought in preparing the cases.
“We are going to have a wider sweep, and we are looking to bring persons who are capable of handling these matters…people who are trained at building a criminal case.”
The minister said that Guyana has been receiving offers of assistance to prosecute these cases, from both regional and international sources.

NOT MARKET PRICES
Questions about what spurred Cabinet’s decision to proceed further, Harmon said that it appears that the plots of land were transferred at prices that were not of market prices.
According to Harmon, “the valuation that was given was unusual for that time and for that location.”
He said that comparisons were made to similar plots of land on the East Coast of Demerara
“for the price at which it was transferred, and then compared that to the price at which the members of the previous administration also gifted themselves those portion of lands.”
The Pradoville Two land transactions had been embarrassing for consecutive PPP/C administrations under Jagdeo and then Donald Ramotar. Tens of millions of dollars were abused during the last term of Jagdeo, which ended in 2011, to build the special seaside community.
The transactions implicated a number of Government entities, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the National Communications Network (NCN) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
Prior to stepping down in November 2011, after he completed his constitutional two terms in office, Jagdeo and his administration in deciding to build a community for himself, ministers and friends, stumbled on a big problem. Sitting on the land was a huge transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned NCN.
A decision was taken to move the tower to Dairy Road, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly paid over $100M to take down the tower and build the new transmitting facility. It was a charge on NCN.
Significant sums from the state were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage network and other works at Pradoville Two. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean front properties.
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, under regulations, they would have been barred from buying the lands under policies of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
With few plots of land available on the high-demand East Coast and East Bank of Demerara for allocations, the Pradoville Two scheme has been galling house lot applicants.
Reportedly, there are almost 25,000 applications pending on file, leaving the new Government scrambling to find lands for housing.
Remigrants reportedly paid ten times the price that Jagdeo paid, for their house lots. They paid $1,111 per square foot to Jagdeo’s $114 per square foot.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he “sold” that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.

BENEFICIARIES
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo.
The DPP has sweeping powers and holds an independent office.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc., were also among the other names on the list.
With regards to the 2007 CWC spending, the PPP/C last two administrations had refused to produce reports of their spending.
Guyana had spent hundreds of millions in preparation, including advances to two hotels that were being built.

 

November 05, 2016

Files for Pradoville Two, Cricket World Cup handed over…Way paved for police to commence criminal probe

The way has been cleared for police to start investigating two major cases that involved transactions that took place under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration.
Two forensic audit reports- the Sparendaam Housing Project-(Special Investigation of the Central Housing and Planning Authority) and the Guyana World Cup/Guyana World Cup Inc.-were handed over by Government to the police, yesterday.
The reports were delivered by Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma, to Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, at the latter’s Eve Leary office yesterday morning.
The decision to have these documents handed over to the Police Commissioner for investigation was made last week during a Cabinet meeting.
In addition to the Minister and the top cop, also present were Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James – who is the head of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU); and Forensic Auditors, Christopher Ram, and John Barnes.
Last week, acting on the findings of two forensic audits, Government ordered that the matters be handed over to the police for further investigations.
With regards to the Sparendaam lands, which have been dubbed ‘Pradoville Two’, it was reportedly sold below market price to former president Jagdeo and a number of former Government Ministers.
The spending for the 2007 Cricket World Cup was never made public by Jagdeo’s or Donald Ramotar’s administration. This sparked allegations over time of widespread impropriety. Hundreds of millions of dollars were said to be involved for payments for services and other things.
The two cases have been a thorn in the side of both Jagdeo and Ramotar and a major embarrassment for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
The Coalition Government on entering office last year immediately ordered several forensic audits, including for the two transactions.
Evidence
Last week, it appeared that the Cabinet, after examining the reports, concluded that enough evidence existed of criminal culpabilities, and that it would require further investigations.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, has been given one week to submit names for special prosecution teams.
With regards to the special prosecution teams, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during a recent post-Cabinet briefing, disclosed that it is likely international help may be sought in preparing the cases.
Questions about what spurred Cabinet’s decision to proceed further, Harmon said that it appears that the plots of land were transferred at prices that were not of market prices.
According to Harmon, “The valuation that was given was unusual for that time and for that location.”
He said that comparisons were made to similar plots of land on the East Coast of Demerara
”for the price at which it was transferred, and then compared that to the price at which the members of the previous administration also gifted themselves those portions of lands.”
With regards to the Pradoville Two lands, tens of millions of dollars were abused during the last term of Jagdeo, which ended in 2011, to build the special seaside community.
The transactions implicated a number of Government entities, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the National Communications Network (NCN) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
Prior to stepping down in November 2011, after he completed his constitutional two terms in office, Jagdeo and his administration in deciding to build a community for himself, ministers and friends, stumbled on a big problem. Sitting on the land was a huge transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned NCN.
A decision was taken to move the tower to Dairy Road, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly paid over $100M to take down the tower and build the new transmitting facility. It was a charge on NCN.
Significant sums from the state were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage network and other works at Pradoville Two. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean front properties.

Beneficiaries
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, under regulations, they would have been barred from buying the lands under policies of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
With few plots of land available on the high-demand East Coast and East Bank of Demerara for allocations, the Pradoville Two scheme has been galling house lot applicants.
Reportedly, there are almost 25,000 applications pending on file, leaving the new Government scrambling to find lands for housing.
Remigrants reportedly paid ten times the price that Jagdeo paid, for their house lots. They paid $1,111 per square foot to Jagdeo’s $114 per square foot.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he “sold” that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookoo.
The DPP has sweeping powers and holds an independent office.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of PSC as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc., were also among the other names on the list.

 

November 08, 2016

Nandlall against special prosecution for Pradoville 2 & CWC

The coalition government has been consistently sidelining and emasculating authorised constitutional agencies, said former Attorney General and Member of Parliament, Anil Nandlall, at the People’s Progressive Party’s press conference at Freedom House yesterday.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, had announced a fortnight ago, that special prosecution teams will be set up to prepare reports that will ensure effective and efficient prosecution of criminal charges into the Sparendaam Housing Project, known as Pradoville Two and the operations of the Guyana Cricket World Cup Inc.
Nandlall said the Director of Public Prosecution by way of article 187 of the constitution is responsible for laying criminal charges, while noting that private charges can be laid as well. The MP lamented that the charges were not coming from the DPP office. Moreover Nandlall noted that the DPP office recommended that no charges be laid due to insufficient evidence.
However, when pressed, he acknowledged that there is no evidence to suggest that the charges would be laid by the government instead of the DPP.
Nandlall said that the coalition government is trying to create a parallel legal system to the constitutionally established criminal justice system. The only way that special prosecutors can be involved, is if the DPP issues a fiat, the MP explained.
The DPP normally orders a fiat in relation to cases filed by the DPP or advised by the DPP and then if the victim wishes to retain a lawyer of their choice, they write to the DPP and she grants permission.” Nandlall explained.
Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack, is among several persons who benefitted from house lots in the upscale Pradoville Two scheme.The exclusive scheme at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, was develop with state resources and then sold way below market prices and under questionable circumstances to a chosen few.
Last October, the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorising the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatise State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatisation of State assets.
NICIL reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

 

January 01, 2017

One year later…Investigators yet to build strong case on Pradoville Two matter

It is officially over a year since investigations started into the Pradoville Two case and a strong case is yet to be crafted.  This was confirmed

by officials attached to the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU).
SARU’s Chief Executive Officer, Aubrey Heath-Retemyer, said that his Unit is taking the lead in investigations into the criminal aspect of the case while SOCU is providing whatever support is needed along the way.
The SARU official said, “Work is ongoing in this matter. This case has a criminal aspect and a civil one. We are looking at the latter. With regard to the criminal aspect, it was known by now that investigators had to get the valuations for the lands at Sparendaam.
“These were sold to officials with strong ties to the former regime. But even after this was secured, SOCU is still without a strong case.”
Retemyer said that plaguing the criminal side of the case for SARU is securing statements from persons within the various agencies that would have been involved in the Pradoville Two scheme.
He said, “We were able to get the valuations of the lands but SOCU was subsequently advised that there were still other requirements. They are still to get corresponding statements from government agencies that are implicated in the entire scandal.”
The anticorruption advocate continued, “These agencies include the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Lands and Surveys Commission and the Deeds Registry.
I believe SOCU has about 60 persons that it has taken statements from. We are still putting together a strong case for the civil and criminal aspect.”

SPECIAL PROSECUTION TEAM
It was in October that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, disclosed that the APNU+AFC Government agreed for there to be a special team which would be established to ensure the prosecution of criminal offences arising from the sale of land at the ‘Pradoville 2’ scheme.

Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, was tasked with putting together the special prosecution team and was supposed to submit the names to Cabinet during the first week in November.
Williams, yesterday, refused to confirm the existence of the team much less to provide a name of one of the investigators which he was tasked with putting together. He asked that the questions be forwarded to Minister Harmon.
“Let Harmon tell you if they got a team. I am not going to confirm that.”
Even though the Minister of State was unreachable yesterday, Kaieteur News was able to confirm with several Cabinet Ministers that Williams did submit a list of names but it has not been confirmed in its entirety.
This newspaper was also informed that the team has taken some form but is yet to begin advising SOCU or much less take it over in full.

THE PRADOVILLE CASE
In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the sea front community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
The Department of the Ministry of the Presidency said that Public Officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole.
“If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”

 

 

January 05, 2017

Pradoville Two scheme is king of all stolen asset cases

• Govt. should have moved against this first instead of Red House –Dr. Hinds

According to Executive Member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds, the issue of stolen assets is one that is central to the legacy of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
He said that there are a number of instances which can prove this; two being the infamous Pradoville Two scandal and the Red House issue.
Of the two, however, Dr. Hinds believes that the Red House matter in terms of recovery is “easy pickings” and perhaps even way down in the pecking order.
He insists that the Pradoville matter which involves the sale of prime lands to those closely connected to the Jagdeo regime at pepper corn rates is not only conniving to say the least but perhaps the king of all stolen assets cases in Guyana’s under the PPP.
The WPA Executive Member said, “The issue of stolen state assets is one that is central to the PPP’s legacy, but because of the present government’s weak-kneed approach to the issue, the PPP has been behaving as if it has been vindicated.
But having said that, the government should not have chosen the Red House as its point of entry; on the scale of things, Red House is low down on the pecking order.”
Dr. Hinds questioned, “Why go after Red House when you have the bigger house in the form of Pradoville? What about all the easy targets unearthed by the audits? The Red House is easy pickings for the PPP; they will make it about Jagan, as they are doing.”
The political activist said that the other important factor is that Red House is used to house the papers of one of the nation’s revered leaders. He opined that when one moves against an institution like that, the case of recovering state assets gets lost in political and ethnic outrage from the other side.
He said that the appearance of evicting the late Dr. Jagan from the building, however justified, is bound to work against the APNU+AFC party politically. The columnist said that this is political ABC.
Dr. Hinds insisted that while the Red House represents the misappropriation of State Resources for private use, it is not as blatant as other instances of graft. He opined that it is not the kind of ugly transfer of resources into private hands as many would have seen coming out of the forensic audits.
He said, “If you are going after political corruption, go where the perpetrators are most vulnerable. Where are the political brains in the government are available to them?”
Dr. Hinds said he was most displeased when he learnt that Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence, and company, recently held a vigil at the Red House in protest against the one that was also being observed by PPP affiliates.
He would rather see a government minister holding a vigil outside the Georgetown Hospital where maternal deaths are prevalent. He said, too, that he would rather see a vigil at Pradoville, which is the real monument of stolen assets.
“Maybe, the Madam Minister (Volda Lawrence) and her team should hold a vigil in front of the Attorney General’s Office urging the speeding up of passage of the legislation for the State Asset Recovery Agency, which would open the way for proper, lawful prosecution of those who are accused of misappropriating state assets,” expressed Dr. Hinds.

 

January 07, 2017

Govt. eyes lawyers for Pradoville 2 Special Prosecution team

Government currently has its eyes on a few attorneys-at-law to form the crucial Special Prosecution Team that will be tasked with overseeing the Pradoville Two case.

This was revealed yesterday during a post cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency, hosted by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
There, the Minister was asked to reveal the names of the persons who would have been proposed to Cabinet for the Special Prosecution Team.
While he could not remember the names, Harmon said that the list comprises Guyanese. He said, too, that there were two recommendations made for persons who reside abroad, but are from the Caricom region.
“The actual names of the persons I don’t specifically remember now. They are all attorneys in private practice in Guyana right now, who have actually agreed to be part of that team.”
The Cabinet Secretary added, “When you engage an attorney you have to have some kind of retainer arrangement and a contract, and that is why I think the Attorney General, Basil Williams, has not released their names as yet, because I think they are still looking at what retainer arrangement can be put in place”
The Minister of State said while that arrangement is being sorted out, the persons whom the Minister of Legal Affairs contacted, expressed a willingness to be part of the team.
Harmon said that even those who were not contacted heard about it and spoke with the Attorney General, indicating their eagerness to provide their services as well.
“So what we are getting is a pool of legal talent. They are prepared to work with us to ensure that the wrongs of the case are dealt with in a swift manner.”
Asked if the prospective persons for the Prosecution Team had spoken with officials of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) or the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), Harmon said, “I can’t be specific with that, but there are some people who are helping with the financial analysis work to be done by SARU”.
He added that the assistants are attached to the World Bank. He said too that last year they provided their expertise on finishing the legislation for SARU, which is currently before Cabinet.
It is officially over a year since investigations started into the Pradoville Two case and a strong case is yet to be crafted. This was confirmed by officials attached to SARU.
SARU’s Chief Executive Officer, Aubrey Heath-Retemyer, said that SOCU is taking the lead in investigations into the criminal aspect of the case, while SARU is providing whatever support is needed along the way.
The SARU official said, “Work is ongoing in this matter. This case has a criminal aspect and a civil one. We are looking at the latter. With regard to the criminal aspect, it was known by now that investigators had to get the valuations for the lands at Sparendaam.
“These were sold to officials with strong ties to the former regime. But even after this was secured, SOCU is still without a strong case.”
Retemyer said that plaguing the criminal side of the case for SARU is securing statements from persons within the various agencies that would have been involved in the Pradoville Two scheme.
He said, “We were able to get the valuations of the lands, but SOCU was subsequently advised that there were still other requirements. They are still to get corresponding statements from government agencies that are implicated in the entire scandal.”
The anticorruption advocate continued, “These agencies include the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Lands and Surveys Commission and the Deeds Registry.
I believe SOCU has about 60 persons that it has taken statements from. We are still putting together a strong case for the civil and criminal aspect.”
In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
The Department of the Ministry of the Presidency said that Public Officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole.
“If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”

 

January 19, 2017

Pradoville Two and Guyana Cricket World Cup Inc issues… AG provides no clarity on selection process for special prosecutors

Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams is yet to provide clarity on the selection process for the special prosecutors chosen to ensure the effective and efficient prosecution of criminal charges into the Sparendaam Housing Project known as Pradoville Two, and the operations of Guyana Cricket World Cup Inc.

During an interview with this newspaper, Williams was asked to respond to concerns regarding the selection process for the prosecutors, their retainer fees, and how these were arrived at. These complaints, among others, were raised specifically by former AG, Anil Nandlall.

Williams however stated that he does not take Nandlall seriously and in any case, he could not answer the questions as he was in a meeting. He said that this publication could make contact with him later yesterday. But all further calls proved futile.

In the meantime, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said he was not aware of the selection process or if there was one to begin with. As for Nandlall’s concerns, Ramjattan said, “He could haul he ass. Every time you do something is ‘money for the boys’. Leh they haul they ass, man. It is bulls**t. Nothing but bulls**t.”

Only recently, Nandlall, told media operatives at the PPP/C’s Headquarters in Robb Street, Georgetown that lawyers who will be or have been hired as Special Prosecutors, are operating out of Government Ministers’ “former” firms.
“One operates out of Minister (of State) Joseph Harmon’s former Law Office, two are operating out of Minister (of Legal Affairs and Attorney General) Basil Williams’ former Law Office and another was a candidate on the APNU/AFC 2015 General Elections’ List of Candidates and was the Returning Officer at Congress Place for PNC’s Internal Elections at their Congress last August,” Nandlall reported.
“This is yet another political witch-hunt that is contaminated with cronyism, nepotism and money for the boys.”
Nandlall did not disclose the identities of these lawyers. However, on January 7, 2017, the state-owned Guyana Chronicle reported that Cabinet had approved the appointment of six attorneys to serve as “special prosecutors on several cases – including but not limited to – the range of forensic audits conducted by the administration when it came into power in May 2015.”
The six attorneys were identified as Michael Somersall, Hewley Griffith, Lawrence Harris, Patrice Henry, Compton Richardson, and Trenton Lake.
It is reported that Trenton Lake operates out of Ibis Chambers, managed by Harmon and Associates. Hewley Griffith and Lawrence Harris operate out of Basil Williams’ Private Law office.
Firms have also come out saying that they were cheated, as they question the selection process and whether the positions were advertised.
Meanwhile, Nandlall told media operatives that $100M has been budgeted for the hiring of Special Prosecutors, while adding that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) budget for the year 2017 was cut by several million dollars.
“So this Government is refusing to give funding to the DPP Office, the Office that has the functional mandate to prosecute all the serious offences committed against our citizens, including, murder, rape, robbery, drug-trafficking etc., but is prepared to spend $100 million to witch-hunt and persecute political opponents.”
Nandlall asserted that the coalition government was trying to create a “parallel legal system” to the constitutionally established criminal justice system. The only way that special prosecutors can be involved, is if the DPP issues a fiat, he emphasised
“The DPP normally orders a fiat in relation to cases filed by the DPP or advised by the DPP and then if the victims wish to retain a lawyer of their choice, they write to the DPP and she grants permission,” Nandlall explained.

 

January 30, 2017

Pradoville Two…I was selected based on merit

– Special Prosecutor Trenton Lake

By: Brushell Blackman

Special Prosecutor Trenton Lake says that he was selected on merit to represent the State in the very contentious and controversial Sparendaam Housing Project, known as the Pradoville Two case involving former President Bharrat Jagdeo and former Ministers of the previous administration.  Lake has debunked claims of conflict of interest and ‘money for the boys’ allegations leveled against him. He is one of six Attorneys, including Michael Somersall, Hewley Griffith, Lawrence Harris, Patrice Henry and Compton Richardson that were selected by the government to prosecute the case. The allegation is that members of the previous administration, including Bharrat Jagdeo, had bought prime house lots for undervalued prices. An audit was subsequently commissioned and found that criminal cases were made out against those that were involved in those purchases.
Lake said that he is one of three partners in the law firm he works with, and it is not controlled by any Government Minister.

However, he did admit that Harmon is one of those partners. Lake said that he has been practicing law for seven years and has had many successes as a criminal Defence Attorney. Further, he said that he has prosecuted many cases and was very successful in those.
He has rejected the notion that he was selected because of his affiliation with Minister of State Joseph Harmon. Lake said that he has proven himself as a competent young attorney.
While he appreciates the conflict of interest claim, he believes those with concerns should remember Guyana’s population is small and people’s associations and connections may overlap at times. However, he believes that this is not sufficient reason why he should not be a part of the battery of attorneys prosecuting the case. Lake said that he is a businessman and he is doing what he does to make a living and once all the terms and conditions are agreeable, he will accept the government’s offer.
Lake stated he is still unaware how much he will be paid, since there has been no agreement yet.
The young attorney said that those who are ready to criticize should understand the nature of the matter and where it is at this time. Responding to the former Attorney General Anil Nandlall claims of ‘money for the boys’ Lake said he will not allow himself to be placed in the ranks of those who are willing to be drafted into Nandlall game of ‘tit for tat’.
It was during the Bharrat Jagdeo administration Cabinet made a decision authorising the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
NICIL reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the PPP/C. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.

 

March 07, 2017

Breaking News….Jagdeo, others arrested by SOCU over Pradoville 2 deal

Twenty-four hours ago, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that he was objecting to Cabinet Members of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party being questioned at the headquarters of the Special Organised

Crime Unit.
Today, investigators from the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) accompanied by ranks of the Guyana Police Force went to the Office of the Opposition Leader on Church Street in Queenstown, and escorted Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to SOCU headquarters on Camp Road.
Minutes earlier, they had escorted former Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, from the Opposition Leader’s office, where he had been meeting with Jagdeo. He was accompanied to SOCU headquarters by Nandlall.
Accompanying Jagdeo to SOCU headquarters was Attorney-at-Law Glenn Hanoman.
Earlier, former Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud had walked in to the SOCU headquarters having signaled that he was prepared to respond to their invitation for questioning. He was being represented by Attorney Mark Waldron.
Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar had been escorted to the SOCU headquarters soon after Persaud presented himself. She was being represented by Attorney Manoj Narayan.
By mid-afternoon, Ramesh Dookhoo, another owner of property at the Sparendaam locale called Pradoville 2, walked in with his lawyer to SOCU headquarters.
The action by SOCU followed the release of the audit on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited—NICIL.
The audit found many irregularities, not least among them certain transactions that gave rise to the development of the Sparendaam waterfront. It found that NICIL has spent more than $100 million to remove the transmitter from the property.
The decision was initially reported as a plan to remove an obstacle from the flight path of aircraft using the Ogle International Airport.
The probe into the acquisition of the waterfront property began almost two years ago when the government launched a series of audits into the operations of the previous PPP administration.
Significant sums from the State were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage networks and other works at Pradoville Two. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
Kaieteur News had reported on the situation and the perceived irregularities surrounding the Pradoville 2 transactions.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the oceanfront properties.
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, under regulations, they would have been barred from buying the lands under regulations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
Remigrants paid ten times the price that former President Jagdeo paid for house lots. Remigrants paid $1,111 per square foot to Jagdeo’s $114 per square foot.
Jagdeo himself, according to details of allocations, received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with pool and overlooking the seawall and the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on the sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
In effect, Jagdeo paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville Two parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot; the ordinary man pays $317 per square foot for his plot.
The sale of the Pradoville Two house lots for such a low price was in stark contrast with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana. Remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
The ordinary house lots for remigrants and citizens are not oceanfront, but are located on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, in what were abandoned cane fields.
Pradoville Two is located in an area known officially as Plantation Sparendaam and Goedverwagting Two.
DPP
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Head of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo.
The DPP has sweeping powers and holds an independent office.
Former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth also received house lots.
Singh is said to be the son of former Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul. They also paid just over $1.5M.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land. The Certificates of Title were prepared in 2011.
Dookhoo, a Banks DIH executive, was a former Chairman of Private Sector Commission as well as the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI). He reportedly paid $1,502,500 for his plot with his title prepared in 2010.
Also benefitting was Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. She paid $1,515,000.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, a Presidential Advisor in the former administration and former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc., were also among the other names on the list.

 

March 08, 2017

Pradoville 2 investigations…Jagdeo, Luncheon arrested

… others questioned by SOCU

By Brushell Blackman
As the Pradoville fraud investigations deepen, former president Bharrat Jagdeo and former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, were yesterday arrested by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), after they failed to submit themselves for interviews.
SOCU also hauled in the General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo; former deputy head of National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Marcia Nadir Sharma, and Dr Ghansham Singh; the son of former Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, for questioning.
They were all being questioned into allegations of conspiracy to defraud the state of revenue.
Jagdeo was written to by SOCU to attend his interview over the weekend but did not report when instructed. He instead chose to host a press conference about the same investigations when he should have been at SOCU.
Head of SOCU, Assistant Commissioner, Sydney James, in the company of other officers promptly descended on the Opposition Leader’s office, Church Street, and arrested him.
Speaking to the media after leaving SOCU, Jagdeo said that the investigations are a political witch hunt.
The former president said that his party will not be cowered into not highlighting the wrongs of the present administration and that they will fight the charges vigorously.
Jagdeo stated that he was questioned about his Pradoville 2 home at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, and matters pertaining to NICIL.
The former head of state insisted that he is immune from prosecution during his time as president, and warned that if any attempts are made at undoing that immunity, many issues will be called into question.

Frail Luncheon
A very frail Luncheon, who was arrested minutes before at the Opposition Leader’s office, during a press conference with Jagdeo, subsequently arrived at SOCU and was questioned for over one hour.

Luncheon told the media he was asked about matters pertaining to Pradoville Two, Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and a number of other investigations. He said that he was released on his own recognizance and has been told to remain in contact with SOCU.
Former Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud, and Lisaveta Ramotar arrived at SOCU around midday yesterday, and left that building five hours later. The two were also questioned at length about their alleged purchases of the prime ocean-front lands at the controversial Pradoville 2 scheme.
Persaud’s lawyer, Mark Waldron, said that they will issue a statement in relation to the investigations but there isn’t much that can be said since the investigation is ongoing.
Ramotar, who was represented by Manoj Narayan, was seen moving between the upper and lower flat of the SOCU building.
At one point when she was downstairs one of the officers could be heard saying to her, ‘Someone is lying’. When she was finished at SOCU Ramotar did not speak to the large press contingent that was waiting outside.
When Dookoo arrived at SOCU headquarters, he told the waiting media that he was asked to present himself for questioning. When asked if he owned lands at the Pradoville 2 scheme, he explained that he was given a plot of land at the location.
After his interrogation, Dookoo changed his story from what he had earlier told the press. He said he bought a plot of land.
He said that he wished that he had never done so as it has caused him tremendous embarrassment. He also said he wished he could give it back.
This investigation was birthed after it was found that senior officials of the previous government of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had allegedly obtained prime lands at the Pradoville 2 scheme at less than market value.
It was soon after the David Granger administration took office in May 2015 that a forensic audit was ordered into the operations of NICIL which has been accused of questionable activities.
NICIL is the state-owned agency that is responsible for investments, among other things.
The Pradoville 2 transactions would have spanned a number of Government entities, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the National Communications Network (NCN) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

A plan
Prior to stepping down in November 2011, at the end of his constitutional two terms in office, Jagdeo and his administration decided to build a community for himself, his ministers and friends, but stumbled on a big problem.
Sitting on the land was a huge transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN).
A decision was taken to move the tower to Dairy Road, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly paid over $100M to take down the tower and build the new transmitting facility and charge the expense to NCN.
Significant sums from the state were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage network and other works at Pradoville 2. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean front properties.
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, they would have been barred from buying the lands under regulations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
There are several other investigations, spurred by other forensic audits, and conducted by SOCU, that are ongoing.
Some other former government officials are currently facing the courts.
According to details of the Pradoville 2 allocations, Jagdeo received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with swimming pool and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had already owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he is claiming that he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.

Three Times less
In effect, Jagdeo and his Pradoville 2 colleagues paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara, would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo paid $114 per square foot for the Pradoville 2 parcels; the ordinary citizens paid $317 per square foot for their plots while remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth also received houselots.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Shaik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc.

 

March 09, 2017

Pradoville Two, NICIL, GRDB probes… British Advisor confident of SOCU’s ability to gather evidence

British Advisor to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Dr. Sam Sittlington, has expressed confidence in the unit’s ability to gather evidence which will ultimately lead to successful prosecutions.
The expert, who was at the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s seminar on Anti-Corruption, Anti-money Laundering and Asset Recovery, told media operatives: “The successes will come – I know what’s happening, there are cases in the courts and there will be cases in the courts in the next few days – but there will be successes, I know that”.
A few days ago, Dr. Sittlington was part of an operation which saw cartons of documents – believed to contain evidence – being seized from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). The operation was conducted based on the findings from a forensic audit conducted into the operations of the entity.
SOCU has been taking leads on many of the probes, using the forensic audits as the basis. These probes include the case of the Sparendaam property, known as ‘Pradoville Two’, located on the East Coast of Demerara; the forensic audits of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL); the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).
The Pradoville Two case in particular had resulted in criticisms from the public after it was discovered that state lands were allegedly converted into an exclusive scheme with lots being sold for as low as $1.5M to members and supporters of the previous regime, the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP).
Asked if the Unit has had any success in gathering other evidence with regards to the Pradoville Two case, the Advisor responded in the affirmative. He however declined to comment further.
“’Yes, I don’t honestly want to comment right now. There are things ongoing at the moment.”
Quizzed on the SOCU’s capacity to handle these high-ranked cases, Dr. Sittlington admitted that the unit lacks manpower. However, he noted that it has the skills required to operate.
“It is a matter of prioritising and gathering what they need. One of the good things is that we have in-house lawyers; the special prosecutors assisting with cases. So there would be a lot better direction in terms of what they need for court. There is also a forensic accountant attached to the unit as well,” Dr Sittlington said.
Dr Sittlington’s advisory role to the SOCU is being facilitated by the British High Commission, and he will be in Guyana until February 2018, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had explained at a press conference hosted earlier this month.

 

March 09, 2017

Day two, Pradoville 2 probe… Former PM Hinds, six ex-Ministers questioned

By Brushell Blackman

As the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) continues its investigations into matters related to the Pradoville 2 housing scheme, former Prime Minister, under the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration, Samuel Hinds was questioned for over two hours at SOCU headquarters on Camp Road yesterday.
Also questioned were former Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, former Minister of Tourism Shaik Baksh, former Minister of Labour Nanda Gopaul and former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford.
Hinds, who was Prime Minister for a number of years under the PPP/C administration, arrived at the SOCU headquarters and greeted the large press corps that was camped outside. Speaking to the media after his interrogation, Hinds said that he was asked to explain why he in part facilitated the move of the National Communications Network (NCN) transmission tower that was stationed at Pradoville.
Hinds explained that the movement of the tower was mooted since the presidency of the late president Cheddi Jagan. The former PM said that in 2004 it was decided that the tower needed to be moved to facilitate the Ogle airport expansion, since the tower would have been in the flight path of incoming aircraft.
The National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) reportedly paid over $100M to relocate the tower to Dairy Road, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara and that charge was borne by NCN..
Ali who arrived at SOCU very early yesterday morning, clearly did not want the attention that the waiting media would have provided. He was the Minister of Housing at the time when the Pradoville 2 lands were allocated and was also at the helm of that ministry when the subsequent infrastructural works were done in the controversial scheme.
According to reports, significant amount of state funds were spent on the construction of roads, drainage networks and other works at Pradoville 2. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to former president Jagdeo, several ministers, government officials and friends. There was no evidence that the house lots sale were advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations. Ali did not speak to the media, and left hurriedly in his waiting sport utility vehicle.
After her interrogation was completed, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand told the media that the investigations are “malicious” and are “designed to embarrassed former government ministers”.
“Why arrest Roger Luncheon, he is clearly not a flight risk?”
Heaping disgust on the current administration, Manickchand said that the APNU + AFC coalition came to power with a ‘sexy’ pitch that she had even believed at some point. However the former Education Minister said that the nation is now being confronted by the realities of value added tax (VAT) on private tuition fees, VAT on services and a number of other anti-progressive measures.
On the land that she purchased and subsequently built a property and sold it for much more than the price paid, Manickchand said that she did nothing wrong and is confident that she will be exonerated when the investigations are completed.
Clement Rohee, who was former Minister of Home Affairs, said that he was reluctant to avail himself for the interview that SOCU requested. He said that he was willing to be arrested not for a lack of cooperation but to register his displeasure at the way the interviews are being conducted.
Rohee was of the view that the investigations are nothing more than a political ploy by the government to silence the opposition. However, he did not address his ownership of a plot of land at the Pradoville Scheme.
Former Minister of Tourism Shaik Baksh, former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford and former Minister of Labour Nanda Gopaul refused to speak to the media when they were finished at SOCU.
It is expected that among others the Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack and former Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Gary Best will be questioned today.

 

March 10, 2017

Day 3 of Pradoville 2 probe…Robert Persaud does not rule out paying market price for house lot

…Kwame McCoy, Andrew Bishop questioned

As the probe into the Sparendaam Land distribution scheme continues, former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud has not ruled out paying the market price for the house lot he bought in the area now dubbed “Pradoville 2.”
Persaud made this public in a Facebook post where he said that his legal advisor indicated to him that should the state establish that the price paid for the house lot was below market value, discussions can be entered into for a mutually acceptable resolution of the matter.
The former Minister sought to explain how he came to own a plot of land in the area. According to Persaud some time between 2007 and 2008, he applied for a government house lot as at that time he was occupying a government residence and not the owner of any house lot issued by the state or one acquired from a private source.
He added,” I paid in full the asking price for a house lot in the Sparendaam-Goedverwagting area referred to as ‘Pradoville 2’. This was the first time I ever purchased a house lot directly from the state. Due to a number of factors, including financial constraints, after the building was erected on the said plot, it was sold. I never occupied the residence at Pradoville 2.”
Persaud said that all the necessary permissions were sought from the Ministry of Housing and a financial penalty was paid for the early disposal of the plot and building.
The former Minister is one of 14 persons who have been questioned so far in relation to the acquisition of house lots in the Pradoville 2 housing scheme. Yesterday, People’s Progressive Party Civic member and former Information Liaison to the Office of the President, Kwame McCoy was required to visit the Camp Street office of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) regarding the matter.
Also questioned by SOCU was another beneficiary of land, Andrew Bishop. On Wednesday, those questioned included former Ministers of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali, former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, former Minister of Tourism Sheik Baksh, former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, former Minister of Public Service, Jennifer Westford, former Minister of Labour, Nanda Gopaul and former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.
The questioning had begun on Tuesday when some persons were actually arrested. Those arrested and questioned were former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Roger Luncheon; former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo; daughter of former President Donald Ramotar and General Manager of Guyana Gold Board, Lisaveta Ramotar; and son of former Labour Minister Nanda Gopaul, Dr Gansham Singh.
Based on information, the recipients of Pradoville 2 lands paid one-third what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara would have paid. It was reported that Rohee, Baksh and Manickchand paid just over $1.5M each and so did, former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr Rajendra Singh.

 

March 11, 2017

Day 4 Pradoville 2 probe…SOCU questions DPP, Gary Best

By Brushell Blackman
As the investigations into the controversial Pradoville 2 housing scheme enters its fourth day,

Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and former Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best were yesterday questioned by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
According to Nigel Hughes, lawyer for DPP Ali-Hack, SOCU has made it clear that his client is not a suspect in the current investigations. Her presence there was rather a fact finding one in relation to the broader Pradoville 2 investigations.
Hughes was asked if Ali-Hack should step down from her current position and he answered in the negative.
“There is no allegation and she is not a suspect. Why should she step down?” Additionally, he believes that if it were to come to a stage where Ali-Hack becomes a party in the investigations he cannot foresee her advising SOCU on whether charges should be laid or otherwise.
After his interview with SOCU, Best told the press that he was invited to that agency to explain the circumstances that led to his acquisition of the house lot at Pradoville 2. According to him the acquisition was done by a Government of Guyana process whereby the necessary paperwork was done, an invoice was generated and a fee of over $1.5M was subsequently paid for the lot.
Best made it clear that at the time of the purchase of the Pradoville 2 house lot, he had a previous government house lot but 10 years had elapsed since he acquired it. The former Chief of Staff said that he sold that house lot and also took a mortgage and used the two to build his current property at Pradoville 2.

Asked how he knew about the availability of the land at Pradoville 2, Best said that it must have been at one of those meetings he attended during his reign as Chief of Staff; he must have been alerted to such a development. Best said that contrary to what is being peddled in the public, his plot at Pradoville 2 was a swamp and he had to fund the cost to rectify it.
Best explained that he is at the bottom of a three level investigation, where investigators are looking at those who managed the assets (lands), those that made the decisions about the assets (Ministry of Housing) and those who just bought lands there without being privy to all the details.
The former Chief of Staff was asked if he felt that Pradoville 2 was developed for selected people like himself; to that he noted that it was not his place to pronounce on that.
The former Chief of staff during the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration was also asked if he thought he acquired the land below market value and if so will he be amenable to paying any additional cost and he said that it’s a difficult subject to address. Best explained that it is well known that the government of the day always subsidizes housing and Pradoville 2 is no different.
Interjecting to address the issue of payment of additional cost, lawyer for Best, Bernard De Santos SC, said that he (Best) will not be paying any additional cost since his client entered into a free contract with the government regarding the Pradoville 2 house lot.
To date, SOCU has questioned General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo; former deputy head of National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Marcia Nadir Sharma, and Dr Gansham Singh, the son of former Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul; former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, former Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali; former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand; former Minister of Tourism Shaik Baskh; former Minister of Labour Nanda Gopaul and former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford.

 

March 13, 2017

Every Guyanese should pay market value for land if Pradoville 2 recipients have to – Anil Nandlall

By Brushell Blackman

Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and lawyer for a number of former ministers of government under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration is contending that if recipients of Pradoville 2 house lots are made to pay market value for those plots, then all Guyanese who are recipients of house lots from government should pay market values as well.
It was the view of the current government when it was in opposition, that the Pradoville 2 recipients obtained large areas of land at the prime Sparendaam, Goedverwagting area for a substantially lower price ($1.5M) than what they should have paid.
When A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) coalition took up the seat of governance, forensic audits were done to assess that project and a number of worrying issues were found; not least among them was the price paid for those house lots.
Recently, former Minister of Natural Resources and Pradoville 2 house lot recipient, Robert Persaud said that he was amenable to paying the true value for his plot. However, Nandlall said that Persaud is free to take whatever position he deems necessary based on the advice of his attorney Mark Waldron.
The former Attorney General said that such a position will not be taken by any member of the PPP/C or any of the persons he is representing in the Pradoville 2 probe and stated that Persaud is no longer a member of the PPP/C.
According to Nandlall, for time immemorial government has always been subsidizing housing, so that it is made affordable for every Guyanese to own their own home and government functionaries are no different.
Nandlall said that there is no law preventing anyone from receiving subsidy for lands bought from the government and he is baffled as to why there should be a different approach to the Pradoville 2 recipients.

He proffered that should his PPP/C colleagues be made to pay any additional cost for those lands, then every Guyanese that bought house lots from the government, past and present should be made to pay the market value as well. According to him, Pradoville 2 house lot owners had to rake out monies to do developmental work on those lands to bring them to acceptable standards as did every other citizen who bought lots.
However, the former Attorney General did not address some unique issues at that controversial scheme. It is believed that a special Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) pipeline was run for more than a mile into that scheme. There is also a special electrical cable run under ground by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to serve the needs of those living at Pradoville 2. These are not privileges that will be afforded to regular housing schemes according to a housing official.
Significant sums from the state were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage networks and other works at Pradoville 2. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to several ministers and Government officials.

According to details of the allocation, former president Bharrat Jagdeo received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion complete with pool, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
He reportedly paid a total of $9.8M. He had owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
Jagdeo’s payment for the Pradoville 2 parcels translated to $5M per acre which works out at $114 per square foot. Other Guyanese paid $317 per square foot for his plot.
Additionally, the sale of the Pradoville 2 house lots for such a low price would contrast starkly with what remigrants had to pay under the Government’s scheme for returning to Guyana.  They paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
The ordinary house lots for remigrants and citizens are not ocean-front, but are located on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, in what were abandoned cane fields.

 

March 14, 2017

Pradoville 2 probe…SOCU wants to question ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur and former housing official

By Brushell Blackman
The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is trying to locate Mohamed ‘Fuzzy’ Sattaur, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Communications Network (NCN) and Taslim Baksh, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the

Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) for questioning into the Pradoville 2 investigations.
According to a SOCU official, that entity has been trying to make contact with the two men for about three months now. The official said that as far as the police know, the two men have not left the jurisdiction but they cannot be found at their normal addresses.
The official explained that it is important that the two men are questioned to complete the investigations into the Pradoville 2 probe. Baksh is also wanted for questioning into the sale of scrap metal that was done by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) when they were in government.
In mid-2012, a leaked report into investigations at the state-owned NCN revealed startling details of how Sattaur and another manager attempted to pressure female staffers to backdate a $3.6 million invoice to January to cover up their tracks. But the staffers, from the Marketing Department, refused and later told investigators that they thought it unethical at the time.
The leaked report, while not making it clear, suggested that the attempts were made even while the investigations were ongoing or about to start. The report also suggested that both officials were probably desperate at the time.
Sattaur was at the helm at NCN when the National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) reportedly paid over $100M to relocate the tower from the controversial Pradoville 2 housing scheme to Dairy Road, La Parafaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara and that charge was then borne by NCN.
Taslim Baksh was a top housing man under the previous administration, reporting to Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali.
He was in charge of overseeing the construction of hundreds of Government-built homes on East Bank Demerara, from Eccles to Providence, including some of the low-cost ones.

There have been questions about procurement of materials for those homes.
Baksh was also charged with overseeing the operations of the Scrap Metal Unit, which was tasked with regulating the scrap metal trade.
Upon entering office in May, the David Granger administration announced that it found almost $200M sitting in an account at a private commercial bank, in the name of the Scrap Metal Unit.
After noticing a number of suspicious activities, the account was frozen and the matter handed over by Minister Keith Scott to the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU).
Baksh was blacklisted from leaving Guyana pending the outcome of the investigations.
According to one Government official, Baksh between July and August 2016 had requested leave but was refused by the Ministry of Housing. His four-year contract expires in 2017.
He was written to by CH&PA asking him to explain why he was paying Ministry of Housing staffers from the bank account of the Scrap Metal Unit.
However in September 2016, Baksh started sending in a number of medical certificates, having reported sick.
SARU, in its investigations, found a number of other transactions it wanted the CFO to explain.
Police reportedly said that they visited the Seafield, Leonora home on West Coast Demerara, and another property he owns in Lamaha Gardens, in the city, but could not locate him.
The running of the unit was closely controlled by former Minister Ali and his CFO.

 

March 15, 2017

Moving Sparendaam transmission tower was not to facilitate Pradoville 2

Bharrat Jagdeo is adamant that the removal of the National Communications Network (NCN) transmission tower from Sparendaam to Dairy Road, La Parafaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara was not done to facilitate the development of that controversial Pradoville 2 scheme.
The former president said that this assertion is being peddled since it goes well with the current investigations. Placing the tower works at the centre inflates the cost for developmental works at the scheme, Jagdeo said.
The current administration has failed to inform the nation that the removal of the tower was necessitated by the development of the Ogle airport, he said.
Jagdeo provided a document that showed discussion for the removal had started since 2004 between Anthony Mekdeci, Ogle Airport Manager and Rawle Edinboro, Town and Country Planning Officer (ag) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).
Jagdeo said that it was suggested that the tower be removed or the height be reduced since it was in the flight path of incoming air traffic and would have posed a serious risk to flights in light of the planned expansion of that airport at the time.
The opposition leader said that based on technical advice received at the time, it was not advisable to reduce the height of the tower. Removal was the next option, hence moving the tower for the airport expansion and not for the development of Pradoville 2.
He said that the information is public record. He was sure that the government was in possession of this document. He said that he was at a loss to explain the reasoning of the current administration in failing to explain the true reason for the removal of the tower. The opposition leader is of the view that this recent position by the governing administration lends credence to the notion that the current Pradoville 2 probe is a ‘witch hunt’.
On the issue of the price paid for house lots at that scheme and the suggestions that they were bought for below market value, Jagdeo said that he was not responsible for setting those prices but did admit that those decisions were made by his Cabinet.
Jagdeo explained that in an area at Liliendaal an acre of land was sold for $4M.He equated that price to what was paid at Pradoville 2. When it was put to the former president that a similar ocean view plot close to Grand Coastal Hotel was going for $25M and that when it was calculated, those recipients at Pradoville 2 did indeed under pay.
Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, said that based on his calculation an acre of land at Pradoville 2 should have cost $82.8M . However Jagdeo paid a mere $10M for the two acres he bought. Jagdeo said that Goolsarran’s calculation has no substance. The former auditor general was not a credible source to speak on the subject, he added.
The former president indicated that neither he nor his PPP/C colleagues will be amenable to paying any additional cost for those lands and he is ready to put up a rigorous defense of that purchase.

 

March 20, 2017

Pradoville 2 probe…Jagdeo cannot hide behind veil of immunity – PM

– Says it was a clear case of malfeasance in office  

There have been many arguments proffered recently that former President and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo is protected by the veil of immunity offered by Article 182 of the Constitution when it comes to the controversial Pradoville Two case.
The matter is one which saw members of the Jagdeo Cabinet, among other officials, benefitting from state lands at “pepper corn prices.”
Article 182 of the Constitution provides protection for those who hold and held the Office of the President to be immune from criminal or civil proceedings.
However, Prime Minister and First Vice President, Moses Nagamootoo , who is also an attorney, believes that given the circumstances surrounding the Pradoville Two matter, the Constitution does not offer protection for a former President.
Nagamootoo argued that Jagdeo will have to prove that his involvement in the case and the manner in which he acquired lands at Pradoville two was to the benefit of the state and not for personal enrichment.
The Prime Minister also articulated that the veil of immunity offered in the Constitution is not sacrosanct.
“My opinion is that the Article in the Constitution behind which Jagdeo wants to hide to use as an iron clad protection could not possibly apply in a situation where you act for your personal benefit. Indeed the Constitution notes that anything the President does while in or out of office, he is not answerable for those acts.”

The Prime Minister said that even with the aforementioned in mind, there is a “big but”. Nagamootoo argued that based on his interpretation of the Constitution, Jagdeo would have had to carry out his actions in the exercise of his official duty and responsibility to the state.
“He didn’t acquire that land for his official duty or buy it in the name of the tax payers. So trying to use the veil of immunity as a fig leaf to cover what is patently a malfeasance in office for personal gain does not offer any protection for the former president. I don’t think we are at a crossroads in this regard, though I do not speak for the police or prosecutors. But I believe there are legitimate grounds to develop a case against the former president.”
The Prime Minister maintained that the Opposition Leader would have to establish that he acquired the lands at Pradoville for the benefit of the state and not for enrichment.
“I don’t see how it could be argued that the veil of immunity has created an armor of protection for a President to commit a wrong doing for his own benefit. There is no veil of immunity in these circumstances.”

THE PRADOVILLE CASE
In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets.
It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The said lands were then secretly sold to the former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits.
SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.”
The Department of the Ministry of the Presidency said that Public Officers ought to carry out their duties, not for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the public as a whole.
“If they neglect or misconduct themselves by their actions in the course of their duties, this may lead to a breach or abuse of the public’s trust. The act of the Cabinet members for their benefit is serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust.”

 

March 20, 2017

Pradoville 2 probe…Two more allottees willing to pay market value for land

By Brushell Blackman

Two officials who bought lands at the controversial Pradoville 2 scheme have indicated that they are now amenable to paying the market value for those lands. Previously, former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud said that he is ready to pay the market value.
According to a high level source, the investigation is proving very embarrassing to the individuals and they are now looking to bring closure to the issue by paying the government what they should have paid in the first place.
The source said that under the circumstances, this route might be the sensible one to pursue, since the two individuals were not involved in the decision making with regards to the price that was charged for the house lots. According to the source, the change in position by the two high level officials stems from the fact that they learnt that sugar workers bought lands for $500 per square foot whilst lands at Pradoville 2 were sold at $114 per square foot.
This development apparently tugged at the moral conscience of the two individuals and they are now ready to put the controversy to rest. However, according to the source, an independent valuator has decided the price for the house lots and then a decision will be made.

According to a source at the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) the individuals are free to decide what they want to do but the route they are looking to pursue is a civil one. The source at SOCU said that the investigation they are conducting is a criminal one and the legal authorities will have to decide if criminal acts were committed. If so, the charges will be laid.
The source also said that the individuals can very well pay the market value for the house lots but they can still be hauled before the court for committing a criminal act. On the other hand, the official indicated that the commitment to pay the market value can work favorably for those individuals in a criminal matter.
To date, SOCU has questioned General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, Lisaveta Ramotar, daughter of former President Donald Ramotar; former Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud; former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dukhoo; former deputy head of National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Marcia Nadir Sharma, and Dr Gansham Singh; the son of former Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, former Minister of Housing Irfan Ali, former Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, former Minister of Tourism Sheik Baskh, former Minister of Labour Nanda Gopaul, former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford and Taslim Baskh, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

 

June 08, 2017

Suspected Pradoville ‘schemers’ closer to climbing court step

…as SOCU recommends charges for Brassington and Ashni Singh and others

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has completed its Pradoville 2 investigations and has

sent that file to the police legal adviser (PLA) recommending that 12 persons be charged.
Among the 12 recommended for charges are former Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; and former head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington.
According to a well placed source the files were sent to the PLA, Rtd. Justice Claudette Singh. However, Justice Singh is still to make a decision on the matter.
But Justice Singh has said she has not seen any files in relation to the Pradoville 2 probe. She explained that the files could have been sent but have to go through certain channels before they get to her.
According to the source while SOCU can recommend charges it is left to the legal opinion of Justice Singh to determine if the charges are strong enough to be laid. The source said that it is important that the files be properly studied so that the correct decision is arrived at.
Further the source said that although SOCU has its own position on the investigation the PLA has to determine if there is sufficient evidence of criminality to warrant a charge.
The source noted that it is the same benchmark that the police (SOCU) are guided by when they make their recommendation to the PLA.
With the recommendation for Singh and Brassington to be charged, the police will have issues making that a reality since both men are no longer living in Guyana. Brassington now lives in Miami Florida and Singh is said to be working in Washington. Initial reports had placed him in the oil rich country of Dubai.
Brassington was at the helm at NICIL when the controversial Pradoville 2 scheme was conceptualized. There were whispers among Government members that the former head has a lot to answer for in relation to the Sparendaam Scheme.
The contention was and still is that the lands that were sold to former government ministers and close friends of the PPP/C administration was seriously undervalued.
Ashni Singh was the Minister of Finance at the infancy stage of the project and is believed to be a recipient of one of those plots overlooking the sea.

Prior to stepping down in November 2011, at the end of his constitutional two terms in office, Jagdeo and his administration decided to build a community for himself, his ministers and friends, but stumbled on a big problem.
Sitting on the land was a huge transmitting tower belonging to the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN).
A decision was taken to move the tower to Dairy Road, La Parafaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.
NICIL reportedly paid over $100M to take down the tower and build the new transmitting facility and charge the expense to NCN.
Significant sums from the state were spent also on the construction of roads, drainage network and other works at Pradoville 2. The developed house lots, complete with infrastructure, were then sold below market value to Jagdeo, several ministers and Government officials and friends.
There is no evidence that the house lots sale was advertised or what procedures were used in the allocations of the parcels of the ocean front properties.
There are also no details of whether the recipients were owners of properties at the time. If they were, they would have been barred from buying the lands under regulations of the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
There are several other investigations, spurred by other forensic audits, and conducted by SOCU, that are ongoing.
Some other former government officials are currently facing the courts.
According to details of the Pradoville 2 allocations, Jagdeo received two parcels equivalent to two acres.
On it, he built an imposing mansion, complete with swimming pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
He paid a total of $9.8M. He had already owned a property along the Ogle Airport Road in the community that was known as ‘Pradoville One’. However, he is claiming that he sold that property to Trinidadian advertising executive, Ernie Ross.
There is no confirmation whether the former President paid the Capital Gains tax on the profits he made on sale of the mansion or whether the 10-year timeframe had passed in which he could have sold the property.
In effect, Jagdeo and his Pradoville 2 colleagues paid three times less than what ordinary citizens in the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes, East Bank Demerara would have been required to fork out.
Jagdeo paid $114 per square foot for the Pradoville 2 parcels; the ordinary citizens paid $317 per square foot for their plots while remigrants paid more than ten times the price Jagdeo paid for the same size house lot. They paid $1,111 per square foot.
Other beneficiaries included Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack; former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; Compton Bourne, former Head of the Caribbean Development Bank and UG Chancellor; and Florrie Loretta Ramnauth.
Ali-Hack and her husband, Moeen ul Hack, a top figure in the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG), paid $1,488,744 for a piece of land.
Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; former GWI boss, Sheik Baksh and former Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, also received lots, paying just over $1.5M each.
So too did former Army Chief, Rear Admiral Gary Best and sacked Chief Executive Officer of the embattled Guyana Sugar Corporation, Dr. Rajendra Singh.
Also named in the list were Andrew Bishop, former Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission; Safraaz Khan and George Hallaq, said to be the country’s former Middle East envoy, and a company called Future Developers International Guyana Inc.

 

June 28.2017

NICIL probe…SOCU, SARU officials travel to Florida to talk to Brassington

Two of Guyana’s top investigators are set to travel early this week to Florida to talk to Winston Brassington, a former executive of the former administration whose role in a number of state deals has come under the microscope.
Well-placed sources said yesterday that head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Aubrey Retemyer, along with Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), will be on the trip.
Brassington, former head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and its sister arm, the Privatisation Unit, is said to be living in Florida, where he operates a pallet company.
Brassington reportedly left the country in late 2016, months after the Coalition Government took office. During his time in the aforementioned designations, the official oversaw a number of transactions and deals, worth billions of dollars, that are now the subject of investigations.
After taking office, the administration initiated several forensic audits including into the operations of NICIL/PU.
The audits included transactions into the Pradoville Two sale of lands to former government officials and their relatives; the construction of a High Street building at a cost of several hundreds of millions of dollars; the sale of two Duke Street properties to businessman, Gerry Gouveia, among others.
Investigators would also want to talk to Brassington about billions of dollars in dividends from state companies that NICIL collected and proceeds from the sale of scores of state properties.
It was unclear yesterday whether the officials would be examining moves to have Brassington returned to Guyana.
The former NICIL official, who came under scrutiny for overseeing the building of the Berbice Bridge and the Marriott Hotel, is said to be a permanent resident of the US, and not a citizen.
SOCU has also been wanting to talk to former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, who was a board member of NICIL, and who would have been privy to the transactions, as many of them would have had to also been approved by Cabinet, which the minister had been part of.
Singh is said to be working in the US- either Washington or New York, in a major financial institution.
It was unclear yesterday whether the two investigators will be also attempting to speak to the former minister.
The administration, while in Opposition, had insisted that billions of dollars were siphoned off and not accounted for, because of the deals, with the country’s best interests not taken care of.
Several former government ministers and officials and even ex-President Bharrat Jagdeo and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, have been hauled in for questioning by SOCU.
The Opposition has denied wrongdoing and has accused the administration of being on a campaign of witch-hunting.

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Read also about:

• The Tale of Bharrat Jagdeo and his best friend Bobby Ramroop

• The Media & Telecommunication Heist of Guyana

• The Berbice Bridge Scheme

• The Marriott Scheme

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